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Dinar - Varhran V
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 420-438 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.07 g |
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| Obverse description | Bust of Wahram V (Bahram V) in right-facing profile, rendered as a frontal bust, wearing a distinctive crown composed of two mural elements with a crescent mounted on a pearl at center, surmounted by a covered korymbos (ball of hair). The king wears a pearl diadem with ribbons rising upward from below the korymbos, and an earring of two elements. The neckline of the tunic is edged with a row of pearls, and a double row of pearls extends from the shoulders toward a breast ornament, of which only the upper portion is visible. Floral decorative elements appear beneath the bust, and the entire design is enclosed within a dotted border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | madysn bgy wlhl`n MLKAn MLKA `yr`n W `nyr`n MNW ctry MN yzd`n |
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| Additional information |
Varhran V — Bahram Gur in Persian literary tradition — is the most romanticized of the Sasanian kings, celebrated in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh as a hunter and poet-king. His reign was punctuated by the persecution of Christians within the empire and a consequent war with Byzantium in 421–422, resolved quickly by treaty. The gold coinage of his reign is among the more consistent of the dynasty, with relatively stable weight standards maintained throughout.
SNS Schaaf #434 places this piece within a documented die sequence; Göbl's earlier typology for Varhran V remains a standard cross-reference for attribution disputes.