Sasanian Silver Drachm of Khosrow II — The Last Great Shah

Own a Silver Coin from the Final Great Age of the Sasanian Empire

A real Sasanian silver drachm of Khosrow II Parviz—struck during the final great age of the pre-Islamic Sasanian world, when the empire reached extraordinary territorial heights before decades of war and internal conflict left it vulnerable to the Arab conquests.

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📷 Coins shown are representative examples. You will receive one authentic Sasanian silver drachm of Khosrow II. Each coin is unique and will vary in strike, centering, mint, regnal year, preservation, and individual appearance.

👑 Features the elaborate winged crown of Khosrow II, one of the most recognizable royal portraits in Sasanian coinage
🔥 Reverse displays the Zoroastrian fire altar with attendants, a defining image of Sasanian royal coinage
🤲 A genuine silver drachm from the final great flowering of Sasanian imperial power

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

Few rulers witnessed both spectacular triumph and catastrophic reversal as dramatically as Khosrow II Parviz.

Khosrow first became shah in AD 590 and, after being driven from power, regained his throne in AD 591 with military assistance from the Byzantine emperor Maurice.

Following Maurice's murder in AD 602, Khosrow launched a major war against the Byzantine Empire. Sasanian armies conquered large parts of the eastern Mediterranean, including Palestine, Egypt, and extensive areas of Anatolia. Jerusalem fell in AD 614, and the relic revered by Christians as the True Cross was carried into Sasanian territory.

At its height, Khosrow's empire achieved one of the greatest territorial expansions in Sasanian history.

Then the Byzantine emperor Heraclius launched a devastating counteroffensive. By AD 628, Khosrow was overthrown and killed after a palace coup. Rapid succession struggles and civil conflict followed.

Within a generation, Arab Muslim armies conquered the weakened Sasanian state. The empire ended in AD 651 with the death of Yazdegerd III.

This authentic silver drachm was struck during Khosrow II's reign. The obverse bears the shah's crowned portrait and Pahlavi inscriptions; the reverse shows the fire altar flanked by attendants, together with mint and regnal-year information.

The denomination is properly called a Sasanian drachm. After the Arab conquest, this silver denomination became known in Arabic as the dirham, a term that developed from the same monetary tradition.

Perfect For

• Collectors of Sasanian coinage
• History lovers fascinated by the Byzantine–Sasanian Wars
• Collectors of Zoroastrian and ancient Near Eastern history
• Students of Late Antiquity and the rise of Islam
• Anyone looking for a meaningful and historically significant gift

What You'll Receive

• One authentic Sasanian silver drachm of Khosrow II Parviz
• Civilization: Sasanian Empire
• Ruler: Khosrow II Parviz (AD 590, 591–628)
• Denomination: AR Drachm
• Features the shah's portrait and Zoroastrian fire altar
• Guaranteed authentic
• Representative example of the type (each coin is unique)

Continue the Story

The reign of Khosrow II marked both extraordinary expansion and the beginning of the final crisis of the Sasanian Empire. His silver drachms preserve one of the last great expressions of pre-Islamic Sasanian imperial power.

Explore our other Greek, Roman, Biblical, Byzantine, medieval, and world collections to continue your journey through the rulers, civilizations, and events that changed history.

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