Silver Dirham of Xosrow II, King of the Sasanians

For my Object of Power post, I chose to examine a silver dirham with the depiction of Xosrow II, King of the Sasanians (Xosrow can also be written as Khosrow). A form of currency used in this Persian kingdom, and many other Arab nations, this silver coin (dated roughly between 590-628 CE) would have been circulated in and throughout the empire reigned by the ruler of the the time, Xosrow II. When one first looks at the coin, they can see a silver piece with a depiction of a king pressed into it: A male figure with a beard ornate with what appears to be jewelry along with a very evident illustration of a crown is fixed in the middle of the coin. Surrounding the depiction of the king appears to be a fanciful decorative, which accentuates the overall image imprinted on the coin.  

In the coin as well appears to writing as well: looking at similar Sasanian coins on the Harvard Art Museum, it would appear small texts were present in the in almost all the coins, especially in close relation to the image of the king: it could possibly be the name of the ruler or even a title the ruler may have had during that time. As for the language, I’d definitely speculate Arabic as the most likely choice on this dirham. Pertaining to this to the role of the ruler, the depiction of the king would have been definitely something to be imprinted on something present and circulated throughout the kingdom: seeing this coin, and individual would see the depiction of a majestic king, who would be the ruler and protector of the kingdom. The king in this particular case would be Khosrow II, a very powerful and famous ruler of his time, who would later be an inspiration for Persian literature, and be present in texts such as the Shanahmeh.