Hormazd IV

nice one ski!

man, I'm still stuck on a standard khusro ii....i'll hit another sassanian in 2015..new years resolution.

Thanks Chris, I have three now two Khusro II and this one. I'm waiting for my copy of Gobl to arrive.

While you wait for your reference, here a list of Parthian/Sasanid Mints: http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Coina...an-mints.htm

Here NAR is equated to Narmashir though, while Sellwood equates it to Nahr Tire (in Mesopotamia) - wonder what Gobl says about it.

Great coin at a super price! Now you are going to need the counter stamped Hunnic imitation of that coin.

Mine was minted a year later in Balkh, Afghanistan the year the city fell to the Hephthalites.

The counter mark is cursive Bactrian Greek text, that reads PHRORO. This has been attributed to the Hephthalite warlord Phormo Kesaro. Who is said to have been in power in the mid 740's AD. Although there is further information that the Phormo Kesaro is not the name of the ruler but rather a title. The word PHRORO is often found on some coins to be PHORO, weather this is a mistake or a different ruler. Studing the development of language in the area experts surmise that the PHRORO does indeed refer to the title of Phromo Kesaro which loosely translates to Caesar of Rome. A title bestowed upon the various tribal strongman who aided the Byzantine Emperor's in there defense against the Arabs in that century.

32 mm x 3.59 grams
ref:Gobl Dokumente-D.Schnadelback ONS Newsletter 169 (spring 2001) p.3.

for c/m Gobl Dokumente KM 59 var