Khusro II's reign opened with a near-miraculous reversal: deposed and fleeing for his life in 590, he reclaimed the Sasanian throne only with Byzantine military assistance from Maurice. When Maurice was murdered by Phocas in 602, Khusro used it as pretext for the most aggressive Persian offensive in centuries — overrunning Syria, Egypt, and Anatolia within two decades. The pashiz, the lowest copper denomination, kept moving through markets during all of it.
Copper issues of this reign are frequently poorly preserved, a function of the metal's susceptibility to burial corrosion rather than circulation wear alone.
Khusro II's reign opened with a near-miraculous reversal: deposed and fleeing for his life in 590, he reclaimed the Sasanian throne only with Byzantine military assistance from Maurice. When Maurice was murdered by Phocas in 602, Khusro used it as pretext for the most aggressive Persian offensive in centuries — overrunning Syria, Egypt, and Anatolia within two decades. The pashiz, the lowest copper denomination, kept moving through markets during all of it.
Copper issues of this reign are frequently poorly preserved, a function of the metal's susceptibility to burial corrosion rather than circulation wear alone.