Ardashir I images
Type:
Coins,
Sculptures,
Religious complexes
Date:
224 to 241
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Iran
Dimensions:
relief panel 2.4 × 6.65 m,
silver coin 2.5 cm,
gold coin 1.3 cm
Description:
Ardashir I (180–242) was the founder of the Sasanian dynasty (224–651). His investiture as shahanshah was depicted in the first Sasanian relief added to the much earlier Achaemenid rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rostam. At the right, the Zoroastrian god Ohrmazd (Ahuramazda) hands a diadem symbolizing divine glory to the new ruler; an attendant with a fly whisk stands behind Ardashir. Both of the god and the ruler crush enemies under their horses. Ardashir's hair has the exaggerated bun (korymbos) associated with Iranian rulers.
The bun is seen on some of Ardashir's silver coins. But it does not appear on a gold coin from early in his reign. This one, minted at Ecbatana (now Hamadan), shows him in profile wearing a tall crown. The inscription, in Middle Persian, says, "the Mazda-worshiping lord Ardashir, king of kings of the Iranians." A fire temple depicted on the reverse is labeled "fire of Ardashir." Ardashir ruled from 224 to 241, building a new capital city at Ardashir-Xwarrah.
The bun is seen on some of Ardashir's silver coins. But it does not appear on a gold coin from early in his reign. This one, minted at Ecbatana (now Hamadan), shows him in profile wearing a tall crown. The inscription, in Middle Persian, says, "the Mazda-worshiping lord Ardashir, king of kings of the Iranians." A fire temple depicted on the reverse is labeled "fire of Ardashir." Ardashir ruled from 224 to 241, building a new capital city at Ardashir-Xwarrah.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
1
Repository and Online Resources:
• The silver coin is in the British Museum, London.
• The gold coin is in the British Museum, London.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons (relief); © Trustees of the British Museum (coins)
