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Dinar - Shapur II type Ia/6a
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 309-379 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Dinar (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped and decorated bust of Shapur II facing right, adorned with earrings and a mural crown fitted with earmuffs, surmounted by a globe or korymbos. The effigy is rendered in the characteristic high-relief Sasanian style, with fine detailing of the royal regalia. The field is plain, with no visible legend surrounding the royal portrait. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A fire altar decorated with pendant ribbons occupies the center of the reverse, with the bust of Ahuramazda depicted within the flames rising from the altar's bowl. Two attendants, each holding a staff or sword, stand facing inward on either side of the altar in the traditional Sasanian devotional composition. The scene is rendered in the established iconographic tradition of Sasanian royal coinage, emphasizing the divine fire and Zoroastrian religious symbolism. |
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| Additional information |
Shapur II ruled for 70 years — the longest reign in Sasanian history, and the only monarch crowned before birth according to court tradition, the diadem placed on his mother's womb when his father Hormizd II died without a named successor in 309. The early type Ia coinage reflects the mint consolidation efforts of his reign's first decades, before the prolonged Roman wars of the mid-fourth century reshaped imperial priorities and treasury output. Göbl's classification separates these early dinars by subtle fire-altar and attendant details that demand careful loupe work to distinguish reliably from adjacent subtypes.