Catalog
EL Dinar - Kidarite Huns
| Issuer | Kidarite Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 335-345 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Stylized effigy of a Kushan-style king standing and sacrificing at an altar, oriented to the left, rendered in the formalized late Kushan artistic tradition. The royal figure is depicted with characteristic regalia including crown and associated royal symbols. Brahmi legends and decorative symbols are distributed around the field. The design reflects a blundered and increasingly schematic derivation from earlier Kushan prototype coinage, consistent with Kidarite transitional issues. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (335-345) |
| Additional information |
The Kidarites emerged as a distinct power when they broke from or displaced the Kushano-Sasanian administration in Bactria during the mid-fourth century, and their early coinage closely mimicked Kushan royal types — a deliberate political choice to claim legitimacy over populations accustomed to Kushan authority. The electrum composition itself is unusual for the region at this period, where gold and billon dominated; it may reflect access to mixed bullion rather than a controlled monetary policy.
ANS Kushan 2438 places this piece within a transitional attribution zone that specialists have debated for decades, with some assignments shifting between Kidara himself and immediate successors as die studies accumulate.