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Drachm - Shapur II reversed monograms
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 309-320 |
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| Currency | Dinar (224 AD-651 AD) |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Shapur II facing right, wearing an elaborate mural crown surmounted by a korymbos (globe of bundled hair enclosed in a silk cover), with beaded pearl border encircling the effigy. The king's hair falls in large globular curls along the neck and shoulder, and he wears a beaded necklace. An Inscriptional Pahlavi legend runs within the outer beaded border of the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Fire altar with ribbons at center, flanked by two standing royal attendants each wearing a mural crown; the attendant to the left additionally bears a korymbos. Reversed monograms appear in the field beside the altar flame: a caduceus monogram to the left and a faravahr (Ahura Mazda) monogram to the right. An Inscriptional Pahlavi legend encircles the design within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Shapur II assumed the throne before birth — his succession was decided by Sasanian nobles who, anticipating a male heir, crowned his mother's womb. He would go on to rule for 70 years, the longest reign in Sasanian history. These early drachms, struck in the first decade of a reign that began in 309, predate the consolidation of his mint administration, which explains the reversed monogram anomaly catalogued across the SNS and Göbl references — an error of die cutting corrected relatively quickly, leaving a narrow production window.