SASANIAN KINGDOM. Ardashir (Ardaxir) I (AD 223/4-240). AR drachm (26mm, 4.30 gm, 4h). NGC XF 5/5 - 3/5. Mint B ("Hamadan"), Phase 3, ca. AD 233/4-238/9. Draped bust of Ardashir I right, wearing diadem with decorated ends (type R) and close fitting headdress with korymbos / Fire altar (flames 2) with decorated diadem ends (type R). Sunrise 703. Göbl type III/2. Ardashir I overthrew the Arsacid dynasty of the Parthian Empire and installed himself onto the imperial throne at Ctesiphon in 224 AD, founding the Sassanian Empire that would last for four hundred years. In a break from his Parthian predecessors, Ardashir I's royal portraiture introduces the crown globus (korymbos)--a billowing cloth stuffed with the curled locks of the emperor—which would become canonical on Sasanian coinage. The legend often reads "The Mazdean Lord Ardashir, King of Kings of Iran who has lineage from the gods". The new emperor began his reign by shrewdly consolidating control over the eastern Persian provinces of Sakastan, Balochistan, and Merv. His rule was marked by further military expansion and confrontations at the western frontiers, invading the Roman province of Mesopotamia in 231 AD. The Roman Emperor Alexander Severus launched a successful counter-invasion two years later, hoping to link his own reputation with that of the homonymous Hellenistic world conqueror by accusing Ardashir I of intending to restore the Achaemenid Empire. Despite this setback, Ardashir I was able to take over the Roman client-kingdom of Harta after a siege in 240 AD, laying the groundwork for further Roman-Sasanian wars under his successors. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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