I finally got around to photographing some recent wins, here's the first: Persis. AR hemidrachm. Ardashir IV (late 2nd-early 3rd century AD). Obverse: Diademed bust of Ardashir IV left, 3 dots before, Aramaic legend ['r]thshtr MLK' (Ardashir the King). Reverse: Bust of Manuchtir IV left wearing turreted crown, Aramaic legend [BRH] mnctry MLK' (Son of Manchihr the King). Sunrise 681 (same dies). This coin: CNG 415, lot 269. Persis is another name for what is now Fars or Pars province of Iran, and is the original homeland of the Persian people. Under the Achaemenid dynasty, the Persians built up an enormous empire that stretched from the edge of Greece, through Asia Minor and the Levant, Mesopotamia, the Iranian plateau, and a considerable chunk of Central Asia, up to the edge of India. However, after the destruction of the Achaemenids by Alexander, the Persian cultural/political sphere contracted back to the homeland of Persis, which seems to have retained a good deal of local autonomy during the Seleucid and Parthian periods. A silver coinage was issued in the name of local rulers, who on later coins style themselves King and make no reference to allegiance to a King of Kings, even though the area was nominally subject to the Parthians. There is unfortunately very little literary or archaeological evidence for the history of Persis, other than the coins themselves. The last king of Persis, Ardashir V, would rebel against his Parthian overlords, overthrowing them completely and establishing the Sasanian Empire about 224 AD. Persis issued an extensive silver coinage from a mint at Persepolis. The earliest coins, from the 3rd century BC, are in tetradrachm and drachm denominations; the tetradrachms stopped by the early 2nd century BC, while drachms and fractional silver continued for the rest of the series (indeed, fractional silver is more common than drachms for many issues). Most earlier coins show a Zoroastrian fire-altar on the reverse; later coins, like this piece, instead show and name the king's father, which has been helpful to historians reconstructing the royal genealogy. The names of the kings of Persis are spelled many ways depending on what source you check. This is due to the often-poorly-engraved names on the original inscriptions, the multiple transliteration schemes from Persian (or Aramaic) to other languages, and changes going from one modern scholarly language to another. This confusion, together with the lack of contemporary historical references, probably explains why coins of Persis are not a common area of specialization for modern collectors. This particular coin is fairly scarce, and prior to the publication of the Sunrise collection was known only as a drachm. I find the portraits on Persis coinage interesting in their Parthian-like style, and the coinage is definitely important to anyone interested in the numismatic history of Persia. Please post your coins of Persis here.
I'm certainly not familiar with all coins from this era and location but I don't remember seeing anything like this before. Is it rare or have I just not paid attention? A couple of the "usual" coins of Persis: KINGDOM OF PERSIS, Vadfradad (Autophradates) II Mid-2nd century BC AR hemidrachm, 2.06 gm Obv: head of Vadfradad right with short beard, wearing diadem and kyrbasia adorned with eagle Rev: fire temple, Ahura-Mazda above; to left, Vadfradad standing right; to right, vexillum standard surmounted by eagle Ref: Sunrise 578 Hmm, I have a drachm too but can't locate the images.
Nice write-up and unusual Persis issue @Parthicus ! This is the only Persis issue that I have: Persis Darius I 2nd C BCE Obol King's hd r in satrapal head-dress topped by Eagle - Fire ALtar S6200 SCARCE
The later Persis types featuring ancestor portrait on the reverse do seem to be less common overall than the earlier types featuring fire altars or other symbols. You definitely could have seen them before, but only if you were paying close attention to the "Eastern Greek/Oriental Greek/Assorted Weirdoes"* sections of auctions. *Of course, I don't think that coins of the Mideast, Asia, and other "non-classical" places are "weird", but that is definitely the impression I sometimes get when reading major auction catalogues.
That's a beauty, I would love to get one of those! (Also a pre-rebellion Persis issue of Ardashir V/I, I think you showed one recently?) Here's my small selection: P.S. Am wondering if my "Unknown King" is in fact Vadfradad (Autophradates) II, as @TIF has listed her hemidrachm.
I have not investigated the attribution scholarship. My unshown drachm is the same as yours and was dubbed Vadfradad II but that may not reflect good cataloging or current scholarship.
