What is Arab Sasanian coinage?
What is Arab Sasanian coinage?
ARAB-SASANIAN COINS. Arab-Sasanian is a term applied to several different coinages of early Islamic Iran which were issued under Arab authority using the design and inscriptions of the preceding Sasanian coinage.
What are the technical features of Sasanian silver coins?
A typical technical feature of Sasanian silver coins is the thinness of their flans, which makes them very broad, but often, especially in the 6th century, leads to technical problems such as the “dead spot,” which means that parts of the die image remain obscure since the flans are too thin (Plate I.k [see coin images , below]).
When did the first coinage start in the Middle East?
Official Arab coinage began in Syria about 692, including gold, silver and copper coins. These went through a rapid evolution in design, culminating in the invention of purely Islamic coins with Arabic inscriptions only. The gold and copper transitional coins were derived from Byzantine designs, but the silver coins were Arab-Sasanian.
What are the two periods of the Sasanian period?
The reigns of Kavāḏ I (Kawād I) and Ḵosrow II are separated into two periods by the usurpation of Jāmāsp and Bahrām VI, respectively. All Sasanian coins are hand struck. The obverse, or lower die, bearing the portrait of the king, was fixed in an anvil, while the reverse, or upper die, was held in the craftsman’s hand.
How big is an Arab-Sasanian Drahm?
There is great variation in the diameter and weight of surviving Arab-Sasanian drahms (from under 2 grams to more than 4 grams), even among specimens which are otherwise identical.
When was the last date for a regular Arab-Sasanian Drahm?
Sasanian-type drahms continued at only a few mints, notably in Fārs where they were issued for a time along with the new dirhams. The last date for a regular Arab-Sasanian drahm is 85/704-05.
