Hephthalites, Drachm

Hephthalites, Drachm, silver, reign 475–575 CE, struck c. 475–575 CE 30 mm. Obv: Crowned and draped bust right with elaborate headdress and beaded necklace; uncertain legend; beaded border; “Napki Malka” type. Rev: Anepigraphic; fire-altar with flames flanked by two standing attendants; beaded border. Struck on a broad, thin Sasanian-module flan with central softness on the reverse typical for the series. References: Mitchiner 1507–08. This series reflects Hephthalite control across eastern Iran and Tokharistan in the late 5th–6th centuries. The design copies Sasanian drachms (altar and attendants) while substituting a Hephthalite portrait and local legend, showing adoption of Sasanian monetary standards and iconography by the ruling confederation. “Napki Malka” issues circulated widely in Central Asia and northwestern India and provide evidence for Hephthalite participation in the regional silver economy after the defeats of Peroz I and during subsequent interaction with Sasanian and Central Asian polities.