Khosrow II, 591-628, Drachm

Khosrow II, drachm, AR, reign 591–628, uncertain mint, struck c. 591–628, 4.12 g, 32 mm. Obverse with draped bust right, wearing mural crown surmounted by a frontal crescent between two wings, with star-in-crescent device; ribbons and crescents on the shoulders; stars flanking the crown; within double border, with four star-in-crescent symbols distributed in the margin. Reverse with fire altar with ribboned shafts, flanked by two standing attendants facing inward; four star and crescent symbols flanking the flames; within triple border, with star-in-crescent symbols in the margin. Well-centred and fully struck on a broad flan, preserving the principal crown, altar, and attendant details; minor die wear and typical Sasanian flan irregularities. Gobl type II/3.

Khosrow II presided over the last major expansion of the Sasanian Empire, including prolonged wars against the Byzantine Empire that culminated in the early 7th century before his overthrow in 628. His silver drachms, produced in large quantities across numerous mints, functioned as the principal imperial currency and are key evidence for Sasanian administrative reach, royal ideology expressed through standardized iconography of the crowned bust and fire altar, and the monetary conditions on the eve of the Islamic conquests.