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Unknown AE - Sawrshafan Afrighid
| Issuer | Afrighid dynasty (Choresmia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 751-762 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of the ruler facing right, wearing an elaborate stepped crown surmounted by a crescent and adorned with pellet ornaments, with a prominent beaded necklace encircling the neck. The facial features are rendered in a bold, stylized manner characteristic of late Chorasmian coinage. The hair or headdress is decorated with a series of pellets or globules along the left side of the field. The overall style reflects the local Central Asian artistic tradition derived from Sasanian prototypes. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Chorasmian |
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| Additional information |
The Afrighids ruled Khwarazm (Choresmia) as a semi-autonomous dynasty under loose Arab suzerainty following the Islamic conquest of the region in the early eighth century. The decade bracketed by this coin's date range coincides with one of the most turbulent periods in early Abbasid consolidation — the 750 revolution that toppled the Umayyad caliphate sent shockwaves through eastern vassals, and local rulers like the Afrighids navigated the transition by minting their own bronze issues largely untouched by caliphal iconographic demands. Vainberg's classification of this type as G5.9 places it within a closely sequenced group tied to the ruler Sawrshafan, whose name survives almost exclusively through numismatic evidence.