SASANIAN KINGDOM. Bahram (Varhran) IV (AD 388-399). AR drachm (26mm, 3.31 gm, 3h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 2/5, slight bend. BBA (Court) mint, ca. AD 394-399. Draped bust of Bahram IV right, wearing earring and winged merlon-topped crown with korymbos / Fire altar with ribbon; altar flanked by two attendants turned inward with raised sword in both hands, each wearing winged crowns, left attendant with korymbos. Sunrise 886. Göbl I/3. Bahram IV was known for his defense of the Sasanian Empire against Hunnic invasions and the founding of new mints in Gundeshapur, Ganzak, and Susa. In the former Persian province of Bactria, the supplanting of the Kidarite Huns by the more nomadic, less religiously tolerant Alchon Huns ended Sasanian influence in Central Asia. Another, more formidable Hunnic tribe, referred to as the Hephthalites, swept into Asia Minor, Syria, and Mesopotamia, but the Sasanians mounted a successful counter-offensive and reclaimed lost territory. In the aftermath of the Hunnic invasions, new mints were founded near the imperial peripheries to support the increased presence of troops: this may account for a new form of imperial portraiture. Bahram IV's portrait on the obverse of his coins was the first to depict wings sprouting from the mural crown, a symbol of the Zoroastrian god of victory, also named Bahram. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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