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Drachm - Varhran I type I/1
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 272-276 |
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| Value | Drachm (1⁄12) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing bearded bust of Varhran I (Bahram I), depicted in high relief with a distinctively elaborate Sasanian crown featuring a crenellated top surmounted by a globe, with billowing ribbons or korymbos visible behind. The king wears a beaded necklace and intricately detailed robes. The bust is encircled by a circular Pahlavi legend running along the rim within a beaded border, proclaiming his royal titles and divine lineage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two attendant figures stand facing one another on either side of a tall, stepped Zoroastrian fire altar, each rendered in full figure with detailed garments. The figure on the left is identified as the king and the figure on the right as a priest or attendant, both holding their hands in a gesture of reverence toward the sacred flame rising from the altar top. Pahlavi inscriptions appear in the fields to left and right of the altar. The entire scene is enclosed within a beaded border, consistent with early Sasanian coin iconography emphasizing the dynasty's Zoroastrian religious authority. |
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| Additional information |
Varhran I (Bahram I) came to power not through conquest but through the backing of the high priest Kartir, the most powerful Zoroastrian cleric of the third century — a political debt that shaped his brief reign entirely. His rule saw the execution of the prophet Mani in 276 AD, almost certainly at Kartir's instigation, ending the Manichaean movement's period of royal tolerance it had enjoyed under Shapur I.
The type I/1 classification in Göbl's system places this among the earliest issues of his reign. The SNS reference spread across Schaaf numbers 99 through 108 reflects meaningful die variation within the type rather than simple duplication of entries.