Nesak Huns

The winged bull's head crown of this Nezak Shah is worth a closer look. These eastern neighbors to the Sasanians left behind many coins, but are otherwise not well documented. From the shape of the heads, it is possible that these Nezak kings artificially deformed their skulls. Their headdresses are remarkable and certainly leave an impression on this 3.28g, 26mm coin with a thin silver flan.

Nezak Huns, 'Nezak Malka' series, circa AD 630-711, AR drachm (26mm, 3.328g, 3h). Obv: Bust right, wearing winged bull's head crown with crescent in the front, bridle visible on the nose of the bull. The person wears an earring with two beads, a necklace with flying ribbons at the neck and a garment with beaded decorative stripes. Under the bust is an ornament resembling twigs or wings. čš Pehlevi legend: nyčky MLD-š or nyčky MLK-ā. Rev: fire altar with ribbons and flames on top to left and right a figure in long garment, holding a staff vertically. Behind each figure a row of dots, sometimes positioned like wings or a mantle, sometimes without connection to the figures (as in this example), over each figure a wheel rosette.

A lot of useful information in the references - I will over time summarize a bit more in these pages. This from Kuwayama 2000.

References:

• This website from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna is an amazing resource on these coins, with more information on the Coins of Nezak Kings.

• There is also a 2014 monograph by Matthias Pfisterer in German Hunnen in Indien

• Chapter 4 in this book in English, "Coinage of the Nezak Shahs a perspective from the hoard evidence" from Matthias Pfisterer and Katherina Uhlir Klaus Vandrovec, Coinage of the Nezak,

• Cunningham, A. (1894). LATER INDO-SCYTHIANS. “EPHTHALITES, OR WHITE HUNS.” The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society, 14, 243–293.

• Kuwayama, S. Across the Hindukush of the First Millennium: a Collection of the Papers. Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, 2002, 297p., (Report of the Research Project on the Historical Archaeology of the Hindukush areas carried out under the auspices of the Asian Archaeology Section of the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University).

• Kuwayama, S. Historical Notes on Kāpiśī and Kābul in the Sixth-Eighth Centuries. Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, 2000.