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Hemidrachm - Shapur I
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 260-272 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Inscriptional Pahlavi |
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| Reverse description | A fire altar of stepped form occupies the center of the reverse, with flames rising from the altar top. Flanking the altar on either side stands a royal attendant facing inward, each figure wearing a diadem with ribbons and a mural crown (type 3a), rendered in profile. The composition is symmetrical and hieratic in character, consistent with early Sasanian religious iconography emphasizing Zoroastrian fire worship. An Inscriptional Pahlavi legend appears in the reverse field. |
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| Additional information |
Shapur I's reign encompassed one of the most dramatic military achievements in ancient history — the capture of the Roman Emperor Valerian at the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD, the only time a sitting Roman emperor was taken prisoner in battle. The hemidrachm denomination was a fractional issue produced alongside the larger drachm, likely serving frontier garrison economies and smaller commercial transactions within the expanding empire.
The Göbl classification places this among the earliest Sasanian silver types, with style P representing a relatively controlled die-cutting tradition before later provincial variation crept in.