ID Assist - Sasanian Coin - Dirhem/Dracham ?

[CameronK]

My first Sasanian coin! It came to me ID'd as Khorsu II... and I used a great online resource to guess at the date (yr 35 - 624/25) and mintmark (AW - Erankhvarrah-Shapur).

Could someone review my ID and let me know if I got it right? I look forward to adding more of these to my collection now that I know a little about them!

It's 4.1 g/ 31 mm. I've seen it alternately ID'd as a Dirhem/Dirham or Drachm. Can anyone offer insight on that too?

Thanks!

[Figleaf]

Can't tell you anything about your id, but I can at least clear up the denomination. The two words are the same. Drachmes came to the area with Alexander the Great, while dirham or dirhem comes from Arabic writing. Remember that vowels mostly don't show in Arabic script, so dirhem would look like drhm, close enough to drachme.

Similar transformations in Arabic are denarius - dinar and groschen - guerch / girsh / ghurush / kurush.

Peter

[CameronK]

Thanks for the details!

[Manzikert]

They are definitely two different denominations though, the Sasanian drachm being struck at the Greek drachma standard of just over 4 grams whilst the dirhem is a new standard, just under 3 grams.

Alan

[EWC]

They are definitely two different denominations though, the Sasanian drachm being struck at the Greek drachma standard of just over 4 grams whilst the dirhem is a new standard, just under 3 grams.

Well, that improves on Peter's effort I think, but I judge it is still misleading  My account of late Sasanid standards (which seem not to be Attic) and early post reform dirhems (which it seems were not 2.97g) is found in here:

https://www.academia.edu/6882687/Coin_Weight_and_Historical_Metrology

I rather hoped you might have a well thumbed copy of my 2009 book on this Alan   

Mistakes on these matters are widespread though due in part to the influence of very prominent opinion formers.  Aristotle seems to have greatly misrepresented the origins of Attic weight, just as Ibn Khaldun seems to misrepresent the reformed Umayyad dirhem.

Things got even worse in the 20th century though:  Keynes studied ancient metrology and then set out to undermine rationality itself (as he very clearly stated!).

Sigh.  What to do?

Rob

[Figleaf]

Can you comment on this question?

Peter

My first Sasanian coin! It came to me ID'd as Khorsu II... and I used a great online resource to guess at the date (yr 35 - 624/25) and mintmark (AW - Erankhvarrah-Shapur).

Could someone review my ID and let me know if I got it right?