ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, AH 65-86 / AD 685-705. AE Pashiz ( 1.11 g ), Arab-Sasanian, Daray circa AH 71-91 = AD 690-710, Mint: Bishapur. Draped janusoid bust wearing a flame nimbus around the head; to left, AFZUT GDH ('may his kingship increase' in Pahlawi); to right, DARAY in Pahlawi. Rev. ABAD (or AZAD) BYŠPHR ('May Bishapur be prosperous or free in Pahlawi) Gopatshah standing right, wearing the crown of Khosrau II; before, six-pointed star and the Pahlawi letter p. Album 44 (RR). Gyselen 7. Very fine. Rare. *Gopatshah is a fabulous beast in Persian mythology: it has the body of a bull and the head of a human. |