with 4,000 men.  His camp, with all its rich furniture, and his wives and children, were taken.  The elephant corps still held out and fought valiantly; but it was surrounded and forced to surrender.  The battle was utterly lost; and the unfortunate chief, feeling that all hope was gone, gave the reins to his horse and fled for his life.  Chosroes sent ten thousand men in pursuit, under Bostam, his uncle; and this detachment overtook the fugitives, but was repulsed and returned.  Bahram continued his flight, and passing through Rei and Damaghan, reached the Oxus and placed himself under the protection of the Turks.  Chosroes, having dismissed his Roman allies, re-entered Ctesiphon after a year’s absence, and for the second time took his place upon the throne of his ancestors.

The coins of Bahram possess a peculiar interest.  While there is no numismatic evidence which confirms the statement that he struck money in the name of the younger Chosroes, there are extant three types of his coins, two of which appear to belong to the time before he seated himself upon the throne, while one—­the last—­belongs to the period of his actual sovereignty.  In his preregnal coins, he copied the devices of the last sovereign of his name who had ruled over Persia.  He adopted the mural crown in a decided form, omitted the stars and crescents, and placed his own head amid the flames of the fire-altar.  His legends were either Varahran Chub, “Bahram of the mace,” or Varahran, maljcan malka, mazdisn, bagi, ramashtri, “Bahram, king of kings, Ormazd-worshipping, divine, peaceful.” [PLATE XXIII, Fig. 2.]

The later coins follow closely the type of his predecessor, Hormisdas IV., differing only in the legend, which is, on the obverse, Varahran afzun, or “Varahran (may he be) greater;” and on the reverse the regnal year, with a mint-mark.  The regnal year is uniformly “one;” the mint-marks are Zadracarta, Iran, and Nihach, an unknown locality. [PLATE XXIII., Fig 3.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

Second Reign of Chosroes II. (Eberwiz).  His Rule at first Unpopular, His Treatment of his Uncles, Bindoes and Bostam.  His vindictive Proceedings against Bahram.  His supposed Leaning towards Christianity.  His Wives, Shirin and Kurdiyeh.  His early Wars.  His Relations with the Emperor Maurice.  His Attitude towards Phocas.  Great War of Chosroes with Phocas, A.D. 603-610.  War continued with Heraclius.  Immense Successes of Chosroes, A.D. 611-620.  Aggressive taken by Heraclius A.D. 622.  His Campaigns in Persian Territory A.D. 622-628.  Murder of Chosroes.  His Character.  His Coins.

The second reign of Chosroes II., who is commonly known as Chosroes Eberwiz or Parwiz, lasted little short of thirty-seven years—­from the summer of A.D. 591 to the February of A.D. 628.  Externally considered, it is the most remarkable reign in the entire Sassanian series, embracing as it does the extremes of elevation and depression.  Never at any other time did the Neo-Persian kingdom extend itself so far, or so distinguish itself by military achievements, as in the twenty years intervening between A.D. 602 and A.D. 622.  Seldom was it brought so low as in the years immediately anterior and immediately subsequent to this space, in the earlier and in the later portions of the reign whose central period was so glorious.