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A billon drachm of the first Sasanid emperor Ardashir I, with a fire altar on the reverse. Coin Type: Billon tetradrachm of the Sasanid Ardashir or Ardašēr I, 224-241 CE
Mint and Date: ?
Size and Weight: 25mm x 26mm, 9.7g
Obverse: Bust right with long beard, wearing Parthian-style headdress with ear flaps.
Pahlavi legend.
Reverse: Fire altar with a short column, without attendants.
Pahlavi legend.
Ref: Göbl SN, crown I II/5, reverse 2; plate I coin 7.
Provenance: windsorantiquities (eBay), May 2006
BW Ref: 001 026 087
Click on the picture for a larger scale view of the coin

Note 1: Alan Humphries, "Manzikert" on the Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board, has a much nicer coin with the same obverse die.

Note 2: This note was on Robert Kokotailo's site on Vcoins: "Mitchiner dates Ardeshir's reign as AD 226 to 240, and Sellwood to AD 224 to 242. The difference in the starting date appears to be that Sellwood starts it when Ardeshir defeated the Parthian King Artabanus V in AD 224, but Mitchiner dates the reign from AD 226 when Ardeshir was actually Coronated as King." The dates shown above, 224 to 241 CE, are from Göbl.


The content of this page was last updated on 24 February 2008