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Drachm - Shapur II type Ia/6a
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 309-380 |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Bust of Shapur II in right profile, depicting the king wearing a distinctive mural crown featuring three crenellations and a globe finial adorned with a pointed ornament, from which ribbons extend rearward from both the globe and the diadem. The king is shown with a full beard and elaborately curled hair, wearing a single-strand bead necklace and a pendant earring. A single beaded or linear rim encircles the effigy. The Pahlavi royal legend runs in the field surrounding the portrait. |
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| Reverse description | A fire altar (atashan) depicted in the centre of the field with a flame rising from its top, within which appears a small bust of the king facing right. Two attendant figures flank the altar, each wearing a crown with three crenellations and a globe, likely representing priests or royal guards. The altar column bears a Pahlavi inscription. The overall reverse composition follows the standard Sasanian religious iconography emphasising Zoroastrian fire worship, though the lateral legends show some degree of barbarisation in this type. |
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| Additional information |
Shapur II ruled for 70 years — the longest reign in Sasanian history, spanning from birth in 309 to death in 379 — and his coinage reflects the administrative demands of an empire fighting Rome on one frontier and the Kushans on another. The type Ia/6a classification in Göbl's system places this drachm among the earlier issues of his reign, before the standardization that followed his consolidation of the eastern provinces in the 360s.
The SNS Schaaf reference numbers assigned to this type run unusually long, indicating a large number of documented die pairings — consistent with sustained, high-volume mint output during the prolonged Roman wars.