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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 4848919, member: 81887&quot;]Another of my wins from Pars Coins Auction 7:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170845[/ATTACH] </p><p>Sasanian Kingdom.&nbsp; AR obol (0.64 g, 12 mm).&nbsp; Ardashir I (while still Ardashir V of Persis) (c.205/6-223/4 AD).&nbsp; Obverse: Facing bust of Ardashir wearing Parthian-style tiara, hair to sides, inscription around &quot;Lord Ardashir the King&quot;.&nbsp; Reverse: Bust of Papag left wearing Parthian-style tiara, inscription around &quot;Papag the King&quot;.&nbsp; Sunrise 694.&nbsp; This coin: Pars Coins Auction 7 (July 14, 2020), lot 199.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ardashir I was the founder of the Sasanian or Neo-Persian dynasty. His ancestry is rather obscure, and the ancient sources vary.&nbsp; He was (depending on the source) either the son or the grandson of a Persian nobleman named Sasan, for whom the dynasty would eventually be named, and the grandson or son of Papag. At the time, Persis was merely one of the parts of the Parthian kingdom, where a local ruler was allowed some autonomy as long as he remained loyal to the central Parthian government and continued to pay taxes and levy troops. Ardashir apparently overthrew the Parthian-supported local ruler and reigned in Persis for a period as Ardashir V. After a few years, however, he began taking over neighboring territory and directly challenging Parthian authority. The Parthian kingdom at this time was weakened by repeated wars with Rome and split between two brothers, Artabanus V in the East and Vologases VI in the West. Ardashir was able to defeat the remaining Parthians and in either 224, 226, or 227 AD had himself crowned as Ardashir I. Ardashir was a vigorous and effective ruler, and much like Augustus in Rome he set a solid foundation for the next few centuries of imperial rule. He forced increased centralization of government, promoted the Zoroastrian religion as the official state faith, and fought to enlarge the empire&#039;s borders. He also established the distinctive designs and fabric of Sasanian coins, introducing the broad, thin silver coins that would remain standard throughout the dynasty and beyond. He died in about 240 AD, passing on the crown to his son Shapur I.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is part of his earliest coinage, when he had not yet fully defeated the Parthians.&nbsp; He is still using Parthian imagery (the royal tiara) which he would maintain on some of his early coins after 224 before switching to a more distinctly Sasanian style.&nbsp; Many of the late rulers of Persis honored their fathers on the reverses of their coins, and Ardashir is following that tradition as well (unless Papag was his grandfather rather than father, but it&#039;s still a similar principle).&nbsp; This coin thus captures an important transitional moment, between Parthian and Persian/Sasanian imagery.&nbsp; I like the design, and it is executed well despite the small size of the coin.&nbsp; The preservation is quite nice, especially on the obverse (facing portraits usually wear flat pretty quickly, but on this coin you can still see the details of his face).&nbsp; I have been seeking this type for a while now, and was fortunate to win this.&nbsp; The same type was used on larger coins (hemidrachms and drachms), so I may try to &quot;upgrade&quot; at some point, but for now I am quite happy with this example.&nbsp; Please post your coins of Ardashir I, or whatever else you have that&#039;s related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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