Catalog
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| Issuer | Pratihara Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 780-980 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Drachm |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized and degenerate bust of a Sasanian king facing right, derived from late Sasanian prototypes. The effigy retains vestiges of a mural crown or diadem surmounting the head, with flowing ribbon-like elements flanking the portrait. The facial features are rendered in a schematic, abstract manner characteristic of Indo-Sasanian imitative coinage. Surrounding the bust are cursive Pahlavi-derived inscription remnants in the field, heavily debased from the original legends. The overall style reflects the progressive artistic degeneration typical of post-Sasanian drachms struck under regional Indian dynasties. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (780-980) |
| Additional information |
The Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty controlled much of northern India during this period, and their coinage reflects a deliberate appropriation of Sasanian silver drachm types that had been circulating in the subcontinent for generations after the fall of the Sasanian Empire in 651 AD. Rather than striking wholly original designs, Pratiharas perpetuated degraded versions of these inherited types — a monetary pragmatism that kept trade flowing across established networks without demanding that merchants relearn their currency. The stylistic degeneration across the two-century production window is so pronounced that early and late specimens within this series are barely recognizable as the same type.