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⅙ Dinar - Ardashir I Star
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 224-241 |
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| Currency | Dinar (224 AD-651 AD) |
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| Obverse description | Draped and cuirassed bust of Ardashir I facing right, wearing the distinctive Sasanian korymbos crown adorned with pellets to each side; a star device appears on the far shoulder. The effigy is rendered in the characteristic Sasanian relief style, with the legend in Inscriptional Pahlavi script disposed around the periphery of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stepped fire altar depicted unattended at centre, rendered in frontal view with flames rising from the altar top, supported on a tiered pedestal base; the design is characteristic of early Sasanian coinage affirming Zoroastrian dynastic piety. The Inscriptional Pahlavi legend is disposed in the field to either side of the altar within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Ardashir I founded the Sasanian dynasty by defeating and killing the last Arsacid king, Artabanus IV, at the Battle of Hormozdgan in 224 AD — the same year this fractional gold coinage begins. The star symbol behind the bust is a dynastic or divine marker whose precise meaning remains debated among Sasanian specialists; Göbl's classification system separates these star-type issues from the plain bust varieties as a distinct emission, not merely a die accident.
Fractional gold of this early period is genuinely scarce. Most Sasanian gold production concentrated on full dinars, making the sixth-dinar a minor denomination struck in limited numbers for specific transactional or ceremonial purposes that have not been conclusively established.