Circulation of Sasanian and Sasanian-type silver coins: Investigating numismatic information from excavated finds

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520820
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Asian history
• Research Institution: Ancient Orient Museum
• Principal Investigator: Tsumura Makiko (財)古代オリエント博物館, その他部局等, 研究員 (60238128)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 貨幣 / サーサーン朝ペルシア / 銀貨 / 東西交流 / 初期イスラーム / 西アジア / 度量衡 / 境界域

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study elucidates how the powerful Sasanian currency system was accepted or exploited by the surrounding countries or later governments, investigating the excavated hoards and coins. For example, the close relations between some specific countermarks and scrapes on Sasanian coins can be evidenced through my investigation of the hoard from North China. The coins could be scratched by a hard tool before stamping countermarks to test their silver quality.Most of them are thought to have been applied in Central Asia or Northeastern Iran during the late 7th-8th centuries. To solve the enigma of when and where these countermarks were stamped, further research on the historical nature of Sasanian coins in circulation is required by collecting more relevant coins from museums and private collections around the world.

Free Research Field

西アジア・中央アジア史