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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 3125275, member: 81887&quot;]Numismatic Art of Persia: The Sunrise Collection Part I: Ancient- 650 BC to AD 650.&nbsp; Bradley R. Nelson, editor.&nbsp; 2011.&nbsp; Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (Lancaster).&nbsp; xliii + 430 pages.&nbsp; Currently available from the publisher for $125 plus shipping.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I will start out this review with my main point:&nbsp; This is a magnificent book, going well beyond mere catalogue and providing much of the important background information that is necessary for a collector to appreciate their coins.&nbsp; If you are at all serious about collecting the ancient coins of Persia, especially the Parthian and Sasanian periods, you should buy a copy of this book as soon as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>This book is organized around a private collection (the titular Sunrise Collection) of the coins of ancient (pre-Islamic) Persia.&nbsp; (The same collector also built an impressive collection of Islamic Persian coins, which was sold by Heritage Auctions in 2013.)&nbsp; The collection contains over 1000 coins, which include many rarities and are mostly in high grade.&nbsp; The collection is especially strong in Parthian (229 coins) and Sasanian (332 coins), with additional strong showings in Persis and the Achaemenids.&nbsp; Coins of some other dynasties that ruled all or part of Persia (Seleucids, Elymais, Characene) and neighboring civilizations (India-Parthians, Kushans, Huns, etc.) are not as thoroughly represented, which might leave dedicated collectors of those coins unsatisfied, though what is in the collection is very well presented.</p><p><br /></p><p>After brief introductory essays by the Collector and the Editor, the book settles into its main format.&nbsp; For each culture discussed, there is an introductory historical essay (often touching on numismatics as well), followed by a catalogue of the coins from the Sunrise Collection.&nbsp; Each coin is numbered and fully described, with life-sized color photographs of both sides.&nbsp; At the end of each section, there is also a spread of enlarged photos of selected coins, emphasizing particularly beautiful or significant coins.&nbsp; The sections of Persis and Sasanian coins also include tables giving transliterations and translations of the legends on all listed coins.&nbsp; (Legends of other civilizations&#039; coins are given in the main descriptions.)&nbsp; While you could just use the photos and descriptions to attribute your own specimens, you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you don&#039;t carefully read the essays.&nbsp; The essays are by noted scholars in their respective areas, including G.R.F. Assar, Wilhelm Mueseler, Oliver D. Hoover, R.C. Senior, and Khodadad Rezakhani.&nbsp; I found the essay by Dr. Assar on Parthian history and coinage, which is over 40 pages long and explains many of his reattributions of Parthian coins, to be well worth the price of the book just by itself.&nbsp; The essays include extensive bibliographies for further research.</p><p><br /></p><p>If there is a weakness to this book, it is one inherent in any numismatic reference based on a particular collection: some specialties not well represented in the collection just aren&#039;t treated in as much detail as they would deserve in a truly comprehensive reference.&nbsp; But if you take this into account, the Sunrise Collection is still the best general work about ancient Persian coinage, and serious collectors will want to keep a copy handy next to the more specialized works by Sellwood, Shore, Gobl, etc.&nbsp; If you&#039;ve read or used this book, please comment below and share your opinion.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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