1917.] Numismatic Supplement No. XXIX . 1 59 



Mordtmann (Z.D.M.G., 1879, p. 128, no. 63) read this mono- 

 gram BST and identified it with the town of Bost in Segistan 

 (Seistan). He found it only on the drachmes of Kobad I, 

 years 35 (523) and 41 (529), and Khusrau I, year 12 (542). 



De Morgan (Revue Numismatique, 1913, p. 335, § 57) 

 thinks that the last letter is only a deformation of io and 

 that this monogram represents Bost. He finds it only in 523 



(year 35 of Kobad I) . 



I am of opinion that the last ligature is not a letter at all. 

 but a mark representing a full-stop, to show that the name 

 Bost is written full in all its letters. 



" According to Ebn Haukal and other writers, it is one of 

 the principal cities in the province of Seistan. It is the Abeste 

 of Pliny. It was founded by Bastur, the Bastavairi of the 

 A vesta and the Nastur of the Shahnameh. It is said to have 

 been founded at the time when King Gushtasp had gone to 

 Seistan, to be a guest of Rustam, and to propagate the Zoroas- 

 trian religion there, a short time before his second war with 

 Arjasp." (Shatroiha-i-Airan. in the Asiatic Papers, p. 173, by 



Dr. J. J. Modi). 



The second coin was struck by Hormazd IV and has on the 

 reverse the mint to the left and the date to the right in defiance 

 of the established custom noted above. 



Hormazd IV, who ascended the throne in February 579, 

 was the son of Khusrau I by the Turkish princess, and on this 

 account he is surnamed Turkzadeh " son of the Turk." He 

 was deposed and soon after put to death in the summer of 590. 



Hormazd (Hormisdas, Ormazd, etc.) is the abridged form 

 «»f Ahuramazda, Zend, Ahura " Creator " and Mazda " Omnis- 

 cient." The name is written in Pahlavi, with the transposition 

 "f h, Auharmazdi. The Greek form *0/vi«x&k implies that the 

 pronunciation was Hormizd. (See Justi, Namenbuch, p. 7). 



On his coins we find his name Auharmazi or Auharmaz 

 accompanied by afzu or afzun. 



Description of the second drachme . 



Metal.— Silver. Date.— Shata (six). 



Weight.— 57 grains. Mint.— ZUZN (Zuzen). 



Diameter.— 120 inches. 



ZUZN (Zuzen). 



SHTA (Shata). 



Obver 



sur 



uoverse. — J5ust. oi King to rigim, »***"'•& « ~-» - - 

 Mounted by the traditional globe. The hair brought back 



