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Obol - Bahram V
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 420-438 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A fire altar on a tall shaft occupies the central field, with the facing-right bust of Bahram V depicted on the altar shaft, a hallmark of Sasanian royal coinage asserting the king's divine connection to Zoroastrian sacred fire. Two attendants, rendered in profile, flank the altar symmetrically, each standing in formal posture as guardians of the sacred flame. The composition is typical of Sasanian reverse iconography, emphasizing the religious and dynastic legitimacy of the issuing monarch. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Bahram V — Bahram-e Gur, "the Wild Ass" — is among the most romanticized figures in Sasanian history, his reign celebrated in Persian poetry for hunting exploits and romantic adventures long after his death. The obol denomination itself was a marginal fraction, likely produced for small transactions in a monetized economy that still relied heavily on the drachm for serious commerce. These tiny flans were struck with the same die-cutting care as larger denominations but suffered accordingly in handling — finding one with centered, undamaged fields is genuinely uncommon.