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Drachm - Kawad II
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 628 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.13 g |
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| Obverse description | Effigy of Kavad II (Šēroe) in right-facing profile, wearing the distinctive Sasanian mural crown surmounted by a frontal crescent and korymbos set upon a second crescent, with a ribbon extending over the left shoulder and a crescent-and-ribbon device on the right shoulder. Stars flank the royal crown, and star-in-crescent devices populate the outer margin, characteristic of late Sasanian regal portraiture. The bust is rendered in high-relief hammered style with fine detail in the royal regalia. Inscriptional Pahlavi legends appear in the field identifying the king. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kawad II seized the throne in spring 628 by deposing his father Khosrow II, who died in prison shortly after — likely executed on his son's orders. Kawad then negotiated an end to the long Byzantine-Sasanian war, agreeing to withdraw from Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia. He did not live to see the peace consolidated. A plague killed him within months of his accession, leaving the empire to a succession crisis that burned through multiple claimants in under four years.
The brevity of his reign makes this issue scarce. Göbl's placement at I/1 reflects the single recognized mint phase.