An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence
Ph.D. in the History of Pre-Islamic Iran, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University
Abstract
In the final decades of the Sasanian rule, when turmoil had engulfed the entire Ērānshahr and every claimant to the throne sought to dominate all provinces and consolidate their authority, the activity of the mint of the city known as wēh-az-āmīd-kawād increased significantly. The name of this city appears on coins with the mint signature WYHC, which represents the full name Wēh-az-Āmīd-Kawād. This raises the question of what factors led to the special importance of this city and the increasing repetition of its name on the coinage of kings and claimants to the throne in the late Sasanian period. This study aims to explain the political, economic, and strategic significance of the wēh-az-āmīd-kawād mint (WYHC) and to examine the reasons for the remarkable frequency of its name on late Sasanian coinage. The research method is based on library-based studies, analysis of historical and geographical sources, and a comparative examination of numismatic data and seals from this period. The findings show that Wēh-az-Āmīd-Kawād, founded by order of Kavād I, functioned as one of the key economic, administrative, and military centers and played a decisive role in the Sasanian power structure. The analysis of coinage also indicates that rulers such as Bōrān, Āzarmīgduxt, Khosrow III, Yazdegerd III, and other claimants to the throne issued coins from this mint in order to demonstrate authority and consolidate their political legitimacy. The results suggest that the city’s strategic location, the economic importance of the mint, and its role in legitimizing political power were the main factors behind the prominence and repeated appearance of wēh-az-āmīd-kawād on the coinage of the late Sasanian kings.
ahmadizadeh shendi,H . (2024). An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence. Pazand Quarterly, 18(68 69), 5-21.
MLA
ahmadizadeh shendi,H . "An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence", Pazand Quarterly, 18, 68 69, 2024, 5-21.
HARVARD
ahmadizadeh shendi H. (2024). 'An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence', Pazand Quarterly, 18(68 69), pp. 5-21.
CHICAGO
H ahmadizadeh shendi, "An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence," Pazand Quarterly, 18 68 69 (2024): 5-21,
VANCOUVER
ahmadizadeh shendi H. An Investigation of the Political Significance of the City and Mint of Wah-az-Amid-Kovad in the Late Sasanian Period Based on Numismatic and Seal Evidence. Pazand Quarterly. 2024;18(68 69):5-21 (In Persian).
