The Coronation of Ardashir-e Babakan, a Sasanian rock relief, carved circa CE 235, located in the east corner of Naqsh-e Rostam, in the modern Fars Province of Iran. Ardashir I receives his kingship ring from Ahura Mazda who appoints him Shahanshah (King of Kings) of Ērānshahr (Iran). Photo taken in 2018 by Wojciech Kocot, image used under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Zoroastrianism In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda (also known as Ohrmazd in Middle Persian) is the supreme god and the embodiment of good. Ahura Mazda, whose name translates to "Wise Lord" ("Ahura" meaning lord and "Mazda" meaning wisdom), is the central figure in the Zoroastrian religious tradition.
Zoroastrianism, was founded by the prophet Zarathustra (or Zoroaster in Greek), and is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. Ahura Mazda represents all that is good, just, and truthful. He is depicted as the creator of the universe and the cosmic order, upholding the principles of asha (truth and righteousness).
Ahura Mazda is in a constant struggle against Angra Mainyu (also known as Ahriman), the spirit of evil, chaos, and destruction. This dualistic battle between good and evil is central to Zoroastrian cosmology, with Ahura Mazda guiding humanity toward the path of righteousness. Followers of Zoroastrianism are expected to help Ahura Mazda in the fight against evil by living a life that aligns with truth (asha), doing good deeds, and avoiding the deceitful forces of Angra Mainyu.
Ardashir I of Persis
Today's coin of interest is this tetradrachm from the founder of the Sasanian empire.
Sasanian Kings, Ardaxšīr (Ardashir) I, AD 223/4-240, BI Tetradrachm (26mm, 12.73g). Mint C ("Ctesiphon"), Phase 2c, circa AD 226/7-228/30.
Obv: Bust right, wearing diadem (type R) and Parthian-style tiara decorated with star
Rev: Fire altar (flames 1d) with diadems (type R)
Ref: SNS type IIe(3d)/3a(2b); Sunrise 700.
On the reverse of this coin, there is a fire altar with attendants. The Sasanians did not worship fire, but rather saw fire as a manifestation of Ahura Mazda.
Ardashir I, was the founder of the Sasanian Empire. He rose to power in the early 3rd century CE by overthrowing the Parthian Arsacid dynasty. Starting as a local ruler in Persis (modern-day Fars), Ardashir expanded his influence by defeating regional rivals and consolidating power. His most significant achievement came in 224 CE at the Battle of Hormozdgan, where he decisively defeated the last Parthian king, Artabanus VI, effectively ending the Parthian Empire and declaring himself Shahanshah (King of Kings).
Brother to Artabanus IV
I do not have a coin of Artabanus VI (you may also see him references as Artabanus IV, which is what Sellwood called him). Parthian names and kings don't make it easy and our understanding of their history keeps changing. I do have this coin of his brother and rival for the throne, Vologases VI.
Kings of Parthia, Vologases VI, 208-221/2 AD, BI Tetradrachm (25mm, 12.56 g, 12h), mint Seleucia, date is off flan.
Obv: Bust left with long pointed beard, wearing diademed tiara with horn and long curved earflap, earring, and necklace; B behind
Rev: EΠI (ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ = the Glorious/Illustrious), King seated left on throne, receiving diadem from Tyche holding sceptre; [unknown Seleukid date] between
Ref: Sellwood 88
Little is known about Vologases beyond his coins. After the death of Septimius, and after Caracalla had killed off his brother, Geta, Vologases VI and his brother Artabanus VI were fighting for the throne. Vologases disappears from the written record abound 216 AD. Is it around this time that Caracalla asked to marry the daughter of Artabanus VI.
"He (Caracalla) wrote to the king (Artabanus) that he wished to marry his daughter; that it was not fitting that he, emperor and son of an emperor, be the son-in-law of a lowly private citizen. His wish was to marry a princess, the daughter of a great king. He pointed out that the Roman and the Parthian empires were the largest in the world; if they were united by marriage, one empire without a rival would result when they were no longer divided by a river."
-Herodian, 4.10.1 Caracalla seems to have had more treachery than diplomacy in his heart - as Caracalla pursued "marriage" he made a sudden turn-around, during his trip to Parthia:
"Then the signal was given, and Caracalla ordered his army to attack and massacre the spectators. Astounded by this onslaught, the barbarians turned and fled, wounded and bleeding. Artabanus himself, snatched up and placed on a horse by some of his personal bodyguards, barely escaped with a few companions."
-Herodian, 4.11.5Sasanian Empire
After defeating Parthian Artabanus VI, Ardashir continued military campaigns to expand his empire, bringing much of the Iranian plateau and Mesopotamia under his control. Ardashir I was the son of Papak, and sometimes identified as the grandson of Sasan after whom the empire is named. The connection to Sasan has conflicting evidence and there may have been some political benefit to Ardashir connecting his ancestry to Sasan. One possibility is that Sasan may have been a Parthian deity.
There is some evidence that there may have been Arsacid resistance and attempts to regain their empire after the death of Artabanos VI. In 1990, in an article titled "The End of the Parthian Dynasty," Spink Numismatic Circular 98, 1990, p. 157, David Sellwood published a drachm that he numbered 89.4 as a coin of Tiridates III.
Ardashir’s reign had a profound impact on the political and cultural landscape of Persia. He centralized the administration, ensuring stronger governmental control and streamlining taxation and military conscription.
Drawing of Sasanian rock relief by Lutf-'Ali Shirazi, A.H. 1226/1812 CE, Iranian, illustrating Ardashir I (reigned A.D. 224-241) and the Zoroastrian divinity Ohrmazd [Ahura Mazda] at Naqsh-i Rustam, southern Iran. Public Domain image with thanks to the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Political & Religious Authority
The rock relief at Naqsh-i Rustam, in southern Iran, shows Ahura Mazda handing the diadem or ring of power to Ardashis. Ardashir tied his rule closely to Zoroastrianism, which became the state religion under his reign. He presented himself as a divinely sanctioned ruler, chosen by Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity of Zoroastrianism. This association helped him legitimize his authority, as Zoroastrianism had deep cultural and religious roots in Persia.
This integration of religious authority into the state became a hallmark of the Sasanian Empire and differentiate it from the earlier Parthian rulers, who practiced a more religiously pluralistic policy. The Sasanian Empire that he formed became a dominant force in the region and an influential power until its decline in the 7th century. This strong tie between political and religious authority carried through the rise of Islam in Iran and today in modern Iran.
Ardashir's son Shapur I would succeed his father and go on to humiliate the Romans, first by playing a role in the death of Gordian III, and reportedly reaping a ransom from Philip I, and subsequently in AD 260 capturing their emperor, Valerian. For more on this story see: Gordian III and Shapur I; and Gallienus and Usurpers in AD 260;
References:
Daryaee, Touraj. Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. 2009
Frye, Richard N. The History of Ancient Iran. 1984.
Shahbazi, A. Shapur. Ardashir I. Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1986.
Nelson, Bradley. Numismatic Art of Persia, The Sunrise Collection. Bradley Nelson Publishing, 2019 See: Iran Under teh Arsakindsm 247 BC - AD 224/227 by G R F Assar
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