Sasanian Kingdom. Lead pashiz (17 mm, 3.76 g). Varhran V (420- 438). Obverse: Bust of king right, uncertain symbol in front. Reverse: Zoroastrian fire-altar with two attendants. This coin: Stephen Album Internet-only Auction 15, lot 136 (2022). (historical section contains re-used text) 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 Eastern Roman Empire. At the urging of the Zoroastrian priests, he began persecuting Christians in his realm, many of whom fled to Roman territory and attracted the sympathy of Theodosius II. In 421, the Romans 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. Vahram was an interesting ruler, but what caused me to buy this coin despite its poor condition was its material. Silver coins (mostly drachms) are the majority of Sasanian coins encountered, with bronzes rather scarce and gold generally rare. One could conclude that the Sasanians used mainly silver in commerce, with just small amounts of bronze for low-value transactions, and gold issued intermittently mainly to show the king's power rather than as an important part of the circulating coinage. But there are also rare lead coins known from a number of Sasanian rulers, including Vahram V. These coins show the normal obverse bust and reverse fire-altar designs, though often with additional symbols in front of the portrait. The purpose of this lead coinage remains obscure. They don't seem to have been meant to pass (officially or otherwise) for silver coins, otherwise why make them of much smaller diameter than the official silver drachms (fractional silver was always very scarce) and often with different obverse symbols? Possibly they were issued during crisis periods when other metals weren't available, but I don't know of any direct evidence for this theory. Regardless, I was happy to win this piece despite its rather poor condition, as an example of one of the remaining mysteries of Sasanian coinage. Please post any ancient lead coins you have, or whatever else is related.
Great writeup and congrats on the addition. Only lead I own. Asia Minor, (3rd Century A.D.) Pb Tessera O: Draped female bust to right. R: Blank 15.4g 20mm
Great post, but no mention of Bahrumgur? This leader is famous in Persian history and have a great many stories written about him with this name. I love lead Sasanid coins. I have bought quite a few probably from the same seller as you. I actually spotted and was able to obtain a group lot with an unpublished Vahran II family portrait on it.
