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Square unit - Hunnic tribes Kidarites Sassanian style, 2nd version, Gandhara mint
| Issuer | Kidarite Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 380-400 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field depicts a schematized fire altar flanked by two attendant figures in a highly abstracted rendering typical of late Kidarite copper issues. The altar is represented by a series of horizontal parallel lines surmounted by a stepped or tiered element, evoking the Zoroastrian sacred flame in the Sasanian tradition. Flanking attendants are summarily indicated by vertical forms on either side. A border of raised dots or a linear frame runs along the inner edge of the square flan. Brahmi script characters appear in the field, likely denoting a royal name or epithet. |
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| Edge | Rough |
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| Additional information |
The Kidarites were a Hunnic people who displaced the Kushans across Bactria and Gandhara in the latter half of the 4th century, and their coinage reflects that conquest in the most direct way possible: they simply copied Sasanian prototypes, adapting them to local striking conventions rather than developing independent types. This square copper issue belongs to a second design iteration, suggesting the Gandhara mint was already refining its output within a relatively compressed window of political consolidation.
Square copper fractions of this kind circulated alongside debased round issues in a region where monetary tradition was already fragmented across three prior imperial systems.