Shapur II came to power before he was born — the Sasanian nobility, having killed his father Hormizd II and blinded or imprisoned the older heirs, reportedly crowned his mother's womb in 309 AD. He would go on to reign for 70 years, longer than any other Sasanian king, and his early gold coinage reflects the stabilization of royal authority after that turbulent succession. The specific die pairing recorded under SNS PBW3#Ib1/2a places this piece among the earliest identifiable issues of his reign.
Shapur II came to power before he was born — the Sasanian nobility, having killed his father Hormizd II and blinded or imprisoned the older heirs, reportedly crowned his mother's womb in 309 AD. He would go on to reign for 70 years, longer than any other Sasanian king, and his early gold coinage reflects the stabilization of royal authority after that turbulent succession. The specific die pairing recorded under SNS PBW3#Ib1/2a places this piece among the earliest identifiable issues of his reign.