480-560 Atilla the Hun, Hunnic Drachm, Nezak Kings in Zabulistan & Kabulistan

This 480-560 Hunnic Drachm struck by the Nēzak Kings (who lived in Zabulistan and Kabulistan) shortly after the death of Atilla the Hun, offers a remarkable glimpse into early medieval Central Asian history.

The Nēzak Kings settled south of the Hindu Kush in the Ḡazni and Kabul area in the middle of the 5th century, becoming acquainted with money initially through Sasanian currency received as payment for their military service to Persia. They only began minting their own coins when those payments ceased, making this drachm a notable artifact of political and economic transition.

"The prominent characteristic of the Nēzak coinage is the bull’s-head crown of the kings, which is unmistakably encountered throughout the coin series. This is accompanied by the Middle Persian legend (mostly written incorrectly) nycky MLKʾ “Nēzak Shah,” which János Harmatta (1969) and Richard Frye (1974) first read correctly. One may also observe the Sasanian fire altar with attendants, over whose heads are suspended two small wheels or sun rosettes, a feature which is a typical element of the Nēzak coinage.

Nēzak coins divide into two clearly distinguishable groups, separated typologically. Göbl (1967) assigned them to two different mints, which he provisionally localized in Ḡazni and Kabul. This conclusion is based on the provenance of the coins; the broad mass of the Nēzak coins found south of the Hindu Kush circulated in the area that included these two cities. The attribution can be proven only with more definitive evidence through the discovery of new hoards. The fineness of the drachms is exposed to increasing fluctuations over time and finally drops to pure copper. This phase of inflation runs partly parallel to that of the Indian Alchon coinage of Mihirakula."

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