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<p>[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 5230120, member: 81887"]I admit this coin is not very pretty, but it is scarce and of historical interest:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1216986[/ATTACH] </p><p>Sasanian Persia. AE Unit (2.44 g, 18 mm). Vahram V (420-438 AD). Obverse: King's bust right, name in Pahlavi script before. Reverse: Zoroastrian fire-altar and two attendants. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 10 (November 16, 2020), lot 145.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vahram (also spelled Vahrahan or Bahram) V was born around 400 AD to the Sasanian king Yazdegard I (399-420) and his wife Shushandukht, the daughter of the Jewish exilarch (leader of the Jewish community in Mesopotamia). As his mother was Jewish, Vahram would therefore be considered Jewish under Jewish tradition, even though there is no evidence that he ever practiced the Jewish religion. Young Vahram was sent off to be raised at the court of the Lakhmids, an Arab dynasty that ruled part of southern Iraq and northern Arabia. In 420 AD, a conspiracy of nobles and Zoroastrian priests murdered Yazdegard and placed one of his sons on the throne as Shahpur IV, but they soon after murdered him and replaced him with Khusro (who was so short-lived he doesn't even get a number). Vahram rushed back to the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon to claim the throne for himself. A folk tale claims that he had the royal crown placed between two lions, and challenged Khusro that whoever could retrieve it by killing the lions should be king. Khusro proved a coward and refused, while Vahram successfully passed the challenge and was accepted as king. While this almost certainly never happened, it is certain that Vahram was able to claim the throne fairly quickly, with support from the priests.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first major incident of his rule was a brief war with the Byzantines. At the urging of the Zoroastrian priests, he began persecuting Christians in his realm, many of whom fled to Byzantine territory and attracted the sympathy of Theodosius II. In 421, the Byzantines and Sasanians fought in Armenia and Mesopotamia, to a relative standstill. A peace treaty the next year reset relations between the two empires, with no territory exchanged, and with both sides guaranteeing religious freedom in their realms. He then fought a more significant war with the Kidarite Huns, who had been ravaging the eastern part of Sasanian territory. This war proved far more decisive, with Vahram ultimately killing the Kidarite king and forcing out the Kidarites. He also ended the practice of giving Armenia a semi-independent king, incorporating it as a frontier province of the empire under a margrave. His policies of cancelling many taxes and public debts made him popular with the people. He encouraged musicians, and loved hunting; his nickname of "Vahram Gor" (Vahram the Onager, or wild ass) reflects his favorite prey. Vahram died in 438 AD, in unclear circumstances; different sources claim he died peacefully in bed, or fell into a cave, or a swamp, or drowned. Vahram has had considerable popularity in Persian culture, and is the subject of several major poems. </p><p><br /></p><p>Although this is not a high-grade coin, the main designs are clear enough, and as it is scarce (like all Sasanian bronze) and from an interesting king, I decided to buy it. Coincidentally, [USER=26302]@medoraman[/USER] posted a drachm of Vahram V about a week ago (<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/intriguing-sasanian.370956/#post-5175902" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/intriguing-sasanian.370956/#post-5175902">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/intriguing-sasanian.370956/#post-5175902</a> ), which prompted me to get around to posting this coin. Please post your coins of Vahram V, or other Sasanians, or whatever else is related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 5230120, member: 81887"]I admit this coin is not very pretty, but it is scarce and of historical interest: [ATTACH=full]1216986[/ATTACH] Sasanian Persia. AE Unit (2.44 g, 18 mm). Vahram V (420-438 AD). Obverse: King's bust right, name in Pahlavi script before. Reverse: Zoroastrian fire-altar and two attendants. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 10 (November 16, 2020), lot 145. Vahram (also spelled Vahrahan or Bahram) V was born around 400 AD to the Sasanian king Yazdegard I (399-420) and his wife Shushandukht, the daughter of the Jewish exilarch (leader of the Jewish community in Mesopotamia). As his mother was Jewish, Vahram would therefore be considered Jewish under Jewish tradition, even though there is no evidence that he ever practiced the Jewish religion. Young Vahram was sent off to be raised at the court of the Lakhmids, an Arab dynasty that ruled part of southern Iraq and northern Arabia. In 420 AD, a conspiracy of nobles and Zoroastrian priests murdered Yazdegard and placed one of his sons on the throne as Shahpur IV, but they soon after murdered him and replaced him with Khusro (who was so short-lived he doesn't even get a number). Vahram rushed back to the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon to claim the throne for himself. A folk tale claims that he had the royal crown placed between two lions, and challenged Khusro that whoever could retrieve it by killing the lions should be king. Khusro proved a coward and refused, while Vahram successfully passed the challenge and was accepted as king. While this almost certainly never happened, it is certain that Vahram was able to claim the throne fairly quickly, with support from the priests. The first major incident of his rule was a brief war with the Byzantines. At the urging of the Zoroastrian priests, he began persecuting Christians in his realm, many of whom fled to Byzantine territory and attracted the sympathy of Theodosius II. In 421, the Byzantines and Sasanians fought in Armenia and Mesopotamia, to a relative standstill. A peace treaty the next year reset relations between the two empires, with no territory exchanged, and with both sides guaranteeing religious freedom in their realms. He then fought a more significant war with the Kidarite Huns, who had been ravaging the eastern part of Sasanian territory. This war proved far more decisive, with Vahram ultimately killing the Kidarite king and forcing out the Kidarites. He also ended the practice of giving Armenia a semi-independent king, incorporating it as a frontier province of the empire under a margrave. His policies of cancelling many taxes and public debts made him popular with the people. He encouraged musicians, and loved hunting; his nickname of "Vahram Gor" (Vahram the Onager, or wild ass) reflects his favorite prey. Vahram died in 438 AD, in unclear circumstances; different sources claim he died peacefully in bed, or fell into a cave, or a swamp, or drowned. Vahram has had considerable popularity in Persian culture, and is the subject of several major poems. Although this is not a high-grade coin, the main designs are clear enough, and as it is scarce (like all Sasanian bronze) and from an interesting king, I decided to buy it. Coincidentally, [USER=26302]@medoraman[/USER] posted a drachm of Vahram V about a week ago ([URL]https://www.cointalk.com/threads/intriguing-sasanian.370956/#post-5175902[/URL] ), which prompted me to get around to posting this coin. Please post your coins of Vahram V, or other Sasanians, or whatever else is related.[/QUOTE]
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