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Dinar - Kidara I 2nd version, Kushano-Sassanian style, unknown mint
| Issuer | Kidarite Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 375-395 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The god Shiva is depicted standing facing before Nandi, his sacred bull, in a composition closely derived from Kushan divine imagery. Shiva is shown in frontal or three-quarter stance with attributes associated with his iconography, while Nandi stands to one side as his vehicle and divine companion. The scene is rendered within a beaded border and exhibits the characteristic stylized, low-relief workmanship of Kidarite gold coinage. The reverse design continues the syncretic Kushano-Sassanian artistic tradition blending Indian and Iranian religious motifs. |
| Reverse script | Bactrian |
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| Additional information |
The Kidarites emerged in Bactria following the collapse of Kushano-Sassanian power in the region, with Kidara I consolidating control sometime in the mid-fourth century. This second version of his dinar reflects deliberate stylistic borrowing from Sassanian coinage — a calculated political signal to populations accustomed to that visual vocabulary, rather than any submission to Sassanian authority. The Kidarites were an independent force, likely of Chionite or related steppe origin, pressing west and south with enough military weight to trouble Shapur II.
Göbl's Kushan sequence places this type late in Kidara's output, suggesting it post-dates his earlier, more Kushan-influenced issues.