KUSHANO-SASANIANS. Hormizd I, circa 265-295. Drachm (Bronze, 15 mm, 2.20 g, 9 h), mint in Baktria, probably Balkh. Draped bust of Hormizd I to right, wearing crown with decorated korymbos and a lion's head; before head, 'AWHRMYZDY MLKA' ('Hormizd King' in Pahlawi). Rev. 'Exalted God' in Bactrian Shiva standing facing and holding trident in his left hand; behind him, his comagnion, the bull Nandi staning left. ANS Kushan, 2219. Minor deposits, otherwise, about very fine.


The Kushano-Sasanians were Sasanian governors, who established a quasi-autonomous reign in the old Kushan provinces of Bactria, Sogdiana, and Gandhara. Their iconography combines traditional Sasanian elements with deities such as Shiva from the Hindu pantheon.