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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,663 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
Alright guys and gals, I have quite a bit of new pieces to go through so I here is one I am exceptionally happy with, and had the opportunity to purchase...(for cheap)  Quick background: In the late 5th and early 6th century the nomadic tribes cumulatively called the Huns nearly brought the mighty Sassanid Persian Empire to its knees. The tribe known as the Hephthalites had taken the Prince Kavad hostage and held him for ransom from the then Shah Peroz. Peroz paid many donkey loads of coins for Kavad's safe return. Peroz being a 'hands on' king of Shah, was killed in battle and his army destroyed by the much smaller Hephthalite force. For centuries these Hephthalites would rule Central Asia from the Caucuses to The Indus, and even penetrate India. Remember those donkey loads of Sassanid coins? Well those coins would we circulated, recirculated, revalued, imitated and copied for the next 1000 years. This coin one of only a handful of examples comes from the Western portion of India, struck between 550-600 AD. Hephthalites Peroz Imitation c. 550-600 AD AR Drachm 23.5 mm x 4.11g Pre-Saurashtran Series Obverse:Bust with Winged skull cap. Reverse:Corrupt Pahlavi letters fire altar with attendants. ref: Mitchiner 64 Note: Oober Rare!!  Edited by Ancientnoob
08/19/2013 10:50 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2480 Posts |
Without the history I wouldn't have known this was something special. Now I know. Thanks, and congrats!
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5155 Posts |
I try to get special coins, I never claim to get 'nice' coins.
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
The historical background brings the coin to life, as usual an excellent coin my friend.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3345 Posts |
That is really cool. when I first looked at the obverse I thought that mark in the center was a nose :) do you know how many are know?
and which are considered reproductions that are real? you said it was minted after that and revalued?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4981 Posts |
nice, another cool coin.....looks familiar (sassanid theme) but still haven't seen one quite like it. how'd you get all these cool coins? did one of those donkeys get lost and make it to your house? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
Glad you like it..I make it my goal to give those who have been stricken from the historical record a voice, and a second life. Very little history survives of the cultures and various peoples who once inhabited Asia. I can not give you specific numbers of coins but there was a single small hoard discovered about 15 years ago of which a portion made it to the markets and have since been dispersed. As far as I know there never had been any modern reproduction made. The coins simply do not command the collector base or the value to fake.....yet...Although various Sassanid coins have been copied in modern times. Many later Shah Khusro II coins were counter struck by the Hephthalites, eventually they struck there own coins at the bottom half of the 7 th century. These are often called Turko-Hepthalite coins...and this history is largely guess work. I do not own an example of a revalued Khusro coin but I do have one of the "donkey load" host coins that birth all subsequent Hunnic coins. Persia Shirajan, Kerman The Great Shah of Persia Peroz I 457 -484 AD AR Dirham 28.0 mm x 3.77 g Obverse: Crowned and cuirassed bust right. Stars flanking crown. KAVAT AFZVTV right field. Reverse: Zoroastrian Fire altar with two attendants, flanking flames. SHR mint. Blundered date. Ref: Mitchiner ACW 973ff ex. Garth R. Drewry Collection, ex -CNG  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I think you guys see why Persia failed to conquer the crippled Roman Empire in the late 4th and 5th century.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4778 Posts |
Interesting pickup! Without the info I wouldn't have known how special it was either. Nice job  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I have been able to photograph almost all of my Persian Bust type coins so very soon I should be able to do a spread of Persian bust types from about 457-1300 AD encompassing about 843 years of of degrading bust styles. You can really see the Peroz/Khusro bust types decline to the point where they become quite beautiful again.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
Really interesting. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I am truly surprised at the positive reception of this coin. I am also super pleased you all liked it. Keep them comments, questions or requests coming. I find these Sassanid style bustd some of the most interesting in all of antiquity.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
946 Posts |
Most of all it shows the pervasiveness of Persia into neighbouring countries. Just watched a program on the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, the story of the collector of the Antiquities, William Burrell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrell_CollectionSeeing the numerous examples of terracotta "Tomb Guardians" of the Tang dynasty, with their elaborate, swirly costumes and ferocious countenances, brought to mind something I had wondered before.  If the art of Sasanian Persia had influenced China at that time? Some of the last, surviving, examples of Sasanian sculpture had an elaborate style.  Certainly a lot of Sasanian nobility and their followers fled to China when most of Persia was conquered by the Caliphate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroz_IIIAside from the Tang dynasty, on another tangent (no Pun intended  ) the post by "This Is Fun" on the Seljuk Dirhem of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum, Khusru II, also shows the enduring influence of the Sasanians, in central Asia where the Seljuks hailed from, hundreds of years after the fall of the house of Sasan. https://goccf.com/t/156211Edited by Masis
08/21/2013 5:47 pm
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,663 |
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Posted 08/19/2013 9:53 pm
