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Dinar - Shapur II
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 309-320 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing bust of Shapur II in high relief, wearing an elaborate mural crown surmounted by a korymbos (hair globe) and decorated with a stepped crenellated superstructure, with long curled locks falling behind the neck. The king is depicted with a full beard, a prominent moustache, and large hoop earring, dressed in a finely detailed draped garment with beaded necklace. A Pahlavi legend in the field to the right identifies the ruler, all within a beaded border encircling the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A central stepped Zoroastrian fire altar with a tall flame rising from its top, flanked by two royal attendants standing facing inward, each wearing a crown and holding a long sword with both hands resting on its pommel. The altar base is decorated with a pendant motif, and the two figures are rendered in symmetrical composition with finely engraved drapery. A Pahlavi legend appears in the field to either side of the attendants, all within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Shapur II ascended the Sasanian throne in 309 AD under extraordinary circumstances: he was reportedly crowned while still in his mother's womb, making him the only king in recorded history to have been declared ruler before birth. He would go on to reign for seventy years — the longest of any Sasanian king — and his early coinage, produced in the first decade of that reign, reflects a court still consolidating authority around a child monarch.
The SNS PBW3 classification places this among the earliest die groupings of his reign, before the minting workshops had fully standardized production under his personal authority.