Looking back at my Object of Power
post, there is much I can reflect on regarding my initial analysis of the
silver dirham and more I can expound on in my object and its relation to the
world of the ruler. As a reminder, I chose a silver dirham with the depiction
of Xosrow II, the last Great King of the Sasanians. 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. In my initial inspection, I observed 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
was fixed in the middle of the coin. Surrounding the depiction of the king was
what appeared to be fanciful decorative lines, which accentuated the overall
image imprinted on the coin: one could definitely speculate this as calligraphy. In
the coin as well appeared to be writing: looking at similar Sasanian coins on
the online database of 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. I would also go on to learn that the silver dirham was called
the Kissranid, because it contained the image of the king, or Khusrau: in this
case, the Khusrau is the current king of the Persians, Xosrow II.
When I first observed the coin I
had speculated that the language written on it was Arabic. However, after
asking my professor of the inscription on the coin, Persian was the actual
language prescribed on the dinar. And to be more exact, Middle Persian was the
more specific dialect. What I failed to realize from my first post was that I
had made a connection of the ruler Khosrow II and the Shanahmeh. The Shanahmeh
was written in Persian by a Persian Poet, Ferdowsi, so that connection
completely eluded. In addition to learning that High Persian was the main
language of the Sasanian Empire, I learned that Greek and Aramaic was also present
in the early years of the Sasanian Empire-thus it is not uncommon to find
dirham containing letters of these languages. In pursuit of more knowledge regarding the
Dirham, I learned that all dirham had similar if not the exact same design,
which includes the king bearded and crowned, with his name on the observe of
the coin. Thus I stand by my earlier speculation that the name of the king,
Xosrow II, is inscribed on the coin. What I didn’t realize in fact was that the
text written in the coin was in fact a prayer inscribed within engraving of the
king: as Islam had not taken root in this Iranian Empire, one could speculate
that this writing was in regards to the official religion of the Sasanian
Empire of that time.
Pertaining to this to the role of
the ruler, the depiction of the king would have been definitely been something
to be imprinted on something present and circulated throughout the kingdom:
seeing this coin, an individual would see the depiction of a majestic king, who
would be the ruler and protector of the kingdom. As this is a coin, this would
have been used on a daily basis for trade, and the individual in ownership of
the coin would know who the coin was of and who the protector of the Sasanian
Empire was: The king in this particular
case would be Khosrow II, a very powerful and famous ruler of his time. In
fact, Xosrow II is given the title as “Last Great King of the Sasanian Empire”.
His accomplishments as a king in the Iranian Empire would secure him a role in
the future poems, literature and art long after his death, and would later be
an inspiration for Persian literature, and be present in texts such as the Shanahmeh,
the national Iranian epic. To retain such high regard in his empire, Xosrow II
would have made sure to live by a phrase present in On the Governance of the Palace by Hincmar of Rheims, in which Hincmar
states, “the king may advance in learning, and in governing the kingdom, he may
please God, rule happily in this world, and from the present kingdom attain an
eternal one” (Hincmar, 209). Although Xosrow was not Christian, a similar message
pertaining to his religion and his role in society would have been just as
prevalent: Xosrow is divinely place as king and his role is to ensure the
prosperity of his kingdom and people. Hincmar refers to Alexander the Great in
his text, and alludes to the downfall of having bad counsel. Similar messages
would have been given to Xosrow II, and he would have understood the importance
of good counsel. In the Siyar- al-Muluk,
translated by the Book of Government or
Rules for Kings, Nizam Al-Mulk reveals the importance of good governing as
a king, covering topics from “holding courts for the redress of wrongs and
practicing justice and virtue” to “obtaining information about the conduct of
tax-collectors, judges, prefects of police and mayors, and keeping them in
check”. If Xosrow II was as a good of a king as he is believed to have been,
such wisdom regarding these things and more, he would have made sure were instilled
in his being, in order to be reflective of the majestic and kingly disposition
he made sure were put on the silver dirham he had circulated throughout His
empire.
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