Gold coin of Shapur I
Type:
Coins
Date:
260–72 CE
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Iran
Medium:
Gold
Dimensions:
22 mm in diameter
Description:
The coins of Shapur I (r. ca. 240–72), the second shahanshah of the Sasanian Empire, typically depict him in profile on the obverse. He appears wearing a crenelated crown with ear flaps and a korymbos (spherical veiled headdress). His beard and hair are both curly and bound, and two ribbons flow behind his head. The inscriptions sometimes identify him as descended from the gods and a worshipper of Ahura Mazda (or Ohrmazd), the “All-Knowing Lord” of Zoroastrianism. On the reverse is a fire altar flanked by two attendants. Fire temples were places of Zoroastrian worship and were attended by ritually pure priests.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
1
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
