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Drachm - Ardashir I
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 226-228 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | 3 o`clock ↑→ |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and tiara-crowned bust of Ardashir I facing right, wearing a Parthian-style tiara adorned with an eight-pointed star motif. The royal diadem is of type G, with ribbons extending behind the head. An eight-pointed star decorates the breast of the king's garment, serving as a dynastic emblem. The effigy is rendered in the early Sasanian artistic style, with bold relief and strong facial features characteristic of the founder's coinage. A Middle Persian (Inscriptional Pahlavi) legend surrounds the bust in the field. |
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| Reverse description | A stepped fire altar of the early Sasanian type occupies the center of the reverse, with flames (type 2b) rising from the altar's bowl in a naturalistic rendering. Two royal diadems of type G hang from either side of the altar shaft, a distinctive feature of early Ardashir I coinage symbolizing Zoroastrian royal legitimacy. The altar is flanked by two subsidiary attendant figures or lateral supports, rendered schematically. An Inscriptional Pahlavi legend encircles the entire design within a beaded border. The composition is enclosed by a clearly defined dotted border. |
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| Additional information |
Ardashir I struck these earliest Sasanian drachms immediately after defeating and killing Artabanus IV at the Battle of Hormozdgan in 224 AD, effectively ending four centuries of Arsacid Parthian rule. The Sasanian monetary system he established — drawing on Parthian silver standards while asserting a deliberately new dynastic identity — would persist with remarkable continuity for over four hundred years. The SNS type IIa/3a series is among the earliest coinage attributable to his reign as King of Kings rather than merely King of Persis, placing these pieces within the first years of imperial consolidation.