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Obol - Wahram IV
| Issuer | Sasanian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 394-399 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Pahlavi |
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| Reverse description | Zoroastrian fire altar at centre, its stepped base rising from a beaded ground line, with the sacred flame depicted at the top. Two attendants (or royal figures) stand flanking the altar, each facing inward and wearing Sasanian headgear, holding what appear to be barsom rods. The scene is enclosed within a beaded border, consistent with standard Sasanian fire altar reverse iconography of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Wahram IV ruled for roughly five years before being killed by his own nobles — a fate that tells you something about the precarious relationship between Sasanian kings and the regional aristocracy during the late fourth century. His coinage is sparse across all denominations, and the obol sits at the bottom of that already thin output. The type references in Göbl and Sunrise align on a single obverse die pairing, suggesting production was concentrated rather than distributed across multiple mints.