Drachm - Shapur II

Shapur II is a singular figure in Sasanian history — crowned before birth, according to the sources, when nobles placed the diadem on his mother's womb after his father's death left no male heir. He would go on to reign for seventy years, the longest of any Sasanian king, and spent much of it in near-constant warfare against Rome and the Huns. The early coinage, covering roughly the first decade of his reign, predates his military campaigns and reflects the regency period when court factions effectively governed in his name.

The Göbl Ia/4 pairing is among the earliest die combinations attributed to his reign.