Editing Yazdegerd II (section)

== Coin mints and imperial ideology ==
[[Image:Yazdegerd II Accedes to the Throne.jpg|thumb|16th-century [[Shahnameh]] illustration of Yazdegerd II seated on his throne]]
The reign of Yazdegerd II marks the start of a new inscription on the Sasanian coins; ''mazdēsn bay kay'' ("The [[Ahura Mazda|Mazda]]-worshipping majesty, the king"), which displays his fondness of the legendary [[Avesta]]n dynasty, the [[Kayanian dynasty|Kayanians]], who also used the title of ''[[Kay (title)|kay]]''.{{sfn|Daryaee, "Yazdegerd II"}}{{sfn|Schindel|2013|pp=836–837}}{{efn|The title of ''[[Kay (title)|kay]]'' ("king") had already been in use at least 100 years earlier by the [[Kushano-Sasanians]], a cadet branch of the imperial Sasanian family that ruled in the East before being supplanted by the [[Kidarites]] and the imperial Sasanians in the mid 4th-century.{{sfn|Rezakhani|2017|pp=79, 83}} }} This is due to a shift in the political perspective of the Sasanian Empire−originally disposed towards the West, was now changed to the East.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} This shift, which had already started under Yazdegerd I and Bahram V, reached its zenith under Yazdegerd II and his son and successor [[Peroz I]] ({{reign|459|484}}).{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} It may have been triggered due to the advent of hostile tribes on the eastern front of Iran.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} The war against the Hunnic tribes may have awakened the mythical rivalry existing between the [[Arya (Iran)|Iranian]] Kayanian rulers and their [[Turya (Avesta)|Turanian]] enemies, which is demonstrated in the [[Younger Avesta]].{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} It may have thus been as a result of the conflict between Iran and its eastern enemies, that resulted in the adoption of the title of ''kay'', used by the very same Iranian mythical kings in their war against the Turanians in the East.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}}
[[Image:Yadzgardii.jpg|left|thumb|[[Gold dinar]] minted during the reign of Yazdegerd II]]
Likewise, it was most likely during this period that legendary and epic texts were collected by the Sasanians, including the legend of the Iranian hero-king [[Fereydun]] (Frēdōn in Middle Persian), who split up his kingdom among his three sons; his eldest son [[Salm (Shahnameh)|Salm]] receiving the empire of the West, Rome; the second eldest [[Tur (Shahnameh)|Tur]] receiving the empire of the East, [[Turan]]; and the youngest [[Iraj]] receiving the heartland of the empire, Iran.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} Accordingly, influenced by the texts about the Kayanians, Yazdegerd II may believed to be the heir of the Fereydun and Iraj, thus possibly deeming not only Roman domains in West as belonging to Iran, but also the eastern domains of the Huns.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} Thus the Sasanians may have sought to symbolically assert their rights over those lands by assuming the Kayanian title of ''kay''.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=807}} The traditional titulature of "[[King of Kings]]" was generally missing from Yazdegerd II's coinage.{{sfn|Schindel|2013|p=837}}

A new design also appeared on the reverse of the Sasanian coins, where the traditional [[fire altar]] flanked by two attendants, now imitates them in a more venerated manner.{{sfn|Daryaee, "Yazdegerd II"}} This presumably further demonstrates Yazdegerd II's fealty to Zoroastrianism.{{sfn|Daryaee, "Yazdegerd II"}} The provinces of [[Asoristan]] and [[Khuzistan (Sasanian province)|Khuzistan]] provided the most mints for Yazdegerd II in the west, whilst the provinces of [[Hyrcania|Gurgan]] and [[Margiana|Marw]] provided the most in the east, undoubtedly to support the Sasanians in their wars on the two fronts.{{sfn|Daryaee, "Yazdegerd II"}}