63 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
160
Sasanian Empire
Gold Dinar (4.28 g, 20.5 mm), Circa AD 233/4-238/9
Ardashir I, Sasanian King, AD 223/4 - 240
Almost Extremely Fine.
Mint B - Hamadan (also known as Ahmadan and mentioned in Bible related literature as Ekbatana),
currently located in the north-west Iran.
Gold Dinars of Sasanian monarchs are exceedingly rare and few have survived in the course of the last
15 centuries. This Dinar style, similar to the silver drachms of Ardashir, shows the ruler in a close fitting
headdress with “korymbos” (globe-like element) and ear flap. There is a pellet behind the headgear,
between two sets of flowing ribbons. The exact meaning of the pellets is not fully known, however they
appear singly or in groups of two or three on various Sasanian coins. The reverse shows the Zoroastrian
fire alta with a legend in Pahlavi script reading counter-clockwise “Illumination of (by) Ardashir”. The
Zoroastrian religion was established by Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra. It became the dominant
religion of Persia through most of its history, prior to the Arab invasion and conversion to Islam in the
7th century AD. The Zoroastrian god is Ahuramazda, the god of good, is locked in eternal battle with the
supreme force of evil known as Ahriman. These names have been mentioned in European and American
literature as symbols of good and evil. The Zoroastrian concept of duality of good and evil influenced
Christianity, Islam and many other religions. Today, Zoroastrians are a small and highly respected com-
munity in Iran and also have a community in India known as the Parsees. Among many works influenced
by this Persian religion are Fredrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” and Richard Strauss’s 1896
musical masterpiece of the same name that became the main theme of the movie “2001: A Space Od-
yssey”. Rudolf Stienr, the Austrian philosopher and architect wrote extensively on Zoroastrianism and
designed two major structures called Goetheanum I and II based on the core beliefs of this religion.
In addition, Zoroaster has been the inspiration for several classical music work such as Jeam Philippe
Rameau’s overture named “Zoroastre (1749 AD). Freddie Mercury, the Artist and brilliant lead singer of
the famed rock group Queen was born in a Parsee family with the name Farrokh Bulsara.