| My dissertation describes and analyzes the monetary system created under the Sasanian monarchs Kavad I and Khusrau I, its demise during the last two decades of Sasanian rule and the first half century of Muslim rule and, ultimately, the emergence of a new monetary system after the reforms of the Umayyad caliph 'Abd al-Malik. Drawing on numismatic and literary evidence, the work links the monetary policies of these periods to the military and administrative requirements of the late Sasanian and early Muslim governments. It also documents the strength of local and regional monetary traditions in the face of profound political changes and attempts by the central government at reform.;The dissertation is divided into two sections. The first section analyzes important topics in the numismatic evidence of the 6th, 7th and early 8th centuries CE. It discusses the development of coin types, the attribution of mint legends, the use of dates and calendars, and the record of the weight and fineness of late Sasanian and early Muslim coins.;The second section discusses the monetary context of this coinage. It examines the role of the monetary and administrative reforms of Kavad I and Khusrau I, and the enormous military expeditions of Hormizd IV and Khusrau II in monetizing much of Iraq and Iran. It further discusses the reversal of these processes with the Byzantine conquest, the Sasanian dynastic conflict of 628-32 and the Muslim conquests. Finally, it follows local and regional initiatives aimed at satisfying largely administrative needs until 'Abd al-Malik's reforms at the end of the seventh century CE.;The remarkable continuity of the region's monetary traditions during the 6th, 7th and early 8th centuries CE challenges long-standing assumptions about the broad economic impact of the Muslim conquests. |
