Drachm - Ardashir I

Ardashir I founded the Sasanian dynasty by defeating and killing the last Arsacid king, Artabanus IV, at the Battle of Hormozdgan in 224 AD — ending nearly five centuries of Parthian rule. The coinage issued in the years immediately following consolidation of his empire reflects a deliberate break from Arsacid monetary tradition, establishing the distinctive fire altar reverse that would define Sasanian silver for the next four centuries.

The SNS Iran IIia classification places this among the mature issues of Ardashir's reign, after his initial experimental types were abandoned in favor of a standardized fabric.