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Obol - Kavad I
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 499-531 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | kavat afzun |
| Reverse description | Fire altar flanked by two attendants standing in adoration, rendered in the standard Sasanian votive style. The altar displays a flame rising from its top, characteristic of Zoroastrian iconography found on Sasanian coinage. The two attendant figures flank the altar symmetrically, each facing inward. A beaded border surrounds the entire design. The mint abbreviation 'ART' appears in the field, identifying the Ardashir Khurrah mint. |
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| Additional information |
Kavad I's reign was anything but stable — he was deposed in 496, imprisoned in the Castle of Oblivion, escaped to the Hephthalites, and reclaimed the Sasanian throne in 499 with nomadic military backing. The fractional silver struck under his restored rule circulated through an empire simultaneously managing Mazdakite religious upheaval and perpetual war on the Byzantine frontier. At under half a gram, these obols saw real transactional use at the lowest level of daily commerce, which makes survivors in decent condition genuinely scarce.