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Drachm - Hephthalite Prince
| Issuer | Hephthalite Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 484-560 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm (408-670 AD) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Sasanian-style royal bust facing right in imitation of Vahrām (Bahram) V, rendered in the characteristic late Sasanian die-cutting tradition but executed with the cruder workmanship typical of Hephthalite issues. The king's elaborate crown with distinctive projecting elements is visible, accompanied by flowing hair ribbons. A dynastic tamgha symbol appears to the right of the bust in the field, serving as the principal identifier of Hephthalite authority. The design closely follows the prototypical Sasanian drachm reverse layout, reflecting the Hephthalites' deliberate adoption of Sasanian monetary iconography to facilitate trade and assert political legitimacy. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Hephthalites — the "White Huns" of Byzantine and Sasanian sources — effectively shattered Sasanian power in 484 when Peroz I rode into a trap near the Oxus and died along with much of his army. The coinage that followed borrowed heavily from Sasanian prototypes, a deliberate appropriation of imperial legitimacy from the dynasty they had just humiliated into paying tribute for decades.
Göbl's classification of this type places it within a sequence now understood as regional imitations produced by subordinate Hephthalite princes rather than a central mint — accounting for the fabric variations that complicate attribution across the series.