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Money and Coin in Sassanid Period: a Historical Analysis

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Money and Coin in Sassanid Period: a Historical Analysis Volume 3 Issue 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND June 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Money and Coin in Sassanid Period: A Historical Analysis Dr. Abass Sa’adati Assistant Professor in Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Firuzkuh Branch, Iran Mohammad Sadegh Ahmadi Lecturer, MA of Linguistics, Islamic Azad University, Firuzkuh Branch, Iran Abstract Iran territory, by a history of thousands years, inherently in terms of trade, economic exchanges, is among the most important and interested countries for the researchers and numismatists. Sassanid coins are the most common tool of transactions in much of the world trade by the time, minted in the mint or the mints of the cities managed firstly by Imperial agents and then rented in continue. In this paper, the researchers have fully studied all silver coins left by the various kings in Sassanid age. The scope of the research contains all museums, libraries and all reliable Internet sites available to the researchers. The data needed are wholly collected through the public and personal coins museums and all books and journals written about the writings and images of Sassanid coins and the findings including the images and writings are finally compared to achieve the end result. Keywords: Coin, Silver up, Sassanid. http://www.ijhcs.com/index Page 2040 Volume 3 Issue 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND June 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 Introduction It can be noted that “coin” is a small and rich instrument which the necessity for recognizing it in terms of type of metal, images, place of coinage, type of script, date of coinage, tools of coinage etc. comes into attention. On the other hand, identification of religion, economy, customs, art, policy and, in general, culture and civilization will not be possible except through a precise study on images, language, script and writing on the discovered coins. Therefore, in this article we focus on silver coins obtained from kings of Sassanid’s period and recognition of language and writing changes of them which entail, admittedly, valuable results in terms of gathering information about economy, history, culture, social and political relations. Selecting silver coins is merely due to diversity of silver coins minted by Sassanid kings and their public application and use; unlike the gold coins which were minted in small scales, according to the researchers’ point of view, or in many cases no coinage has happened in this regard. Research significance: Perception of what is known as historical background of every nation reminds us of the motto “past to enlighten the future”. As the most authentic and documentary historical evidence, coin can help us out for untold and undiscovered subjects. The aim of this research is conducting a structural and conceptual analysis of scripts on the coins of Sassanid’s period and achieving some new results such as language changes and historical and economical facts created within Sassanid dynasty. The coins minted in this period of time and even coins which were minted after the fall of Sassanid dynasty and entrance of Islam into Sassanid Empire are derived from genuine Iranian Techniques and arts, but for a long term it remained without any structural and superficial changes and only the writing has changed into Kufic and eventually into Arabic with which the public were provided. Studying all coins of this period, particularly where local rulers are of attention, is a very difficult job and most of the coins are inaccessible so that some of them only mentioned in books and there are a few in oversea museums. The books compiled in this regard are not updated due to occasional discovery of new coins and this makes analyzing process more difficult. The majority of the country’s museums do not contain all Sassanid coins and in some cases there is no specific arrangement for recognizing them. Thus, inexact distinction and recognition of them can lead to improper results and deviation from facts and realities. Literature review A. Coin Coin refers to as a piece of metal with specific weight and carat on which the formal emblem of a country or government is established. Coin is made of different metals like gold, silver and copper as well as alloys such as bronze which its initial principles, after experiencing nearly thirty centuries of human history, have still remained steadfast. Based on Persian encyclopedia, by Gholam Hossein Masaheb (1966), coin is a piece of metal normally a disk of gold, silver, nickel, copper and aluminum which is minted by a government in a specified shape and size and value of which is guaranteed by the government and it runs this piece as money. “Sekeh” is derived from Latin word “Sektum” which means “shield”. Some believe that it is derived from Cycle, Shikel or Shiqel of Torah which was Syrian and Palestinian currency. In Dehkhoda Dictionary Coin is defined as “method, plows, character, cloth, street, palm, a piece of iron on which a conventional image is carved”. Therefore, it can be mentioned that coin is a piece of metal with a specified value and exchangeable which its carat and weight is guaranteed by the government and is used to do different trades and transactions. General visage of a Sassanid Coin http://www.ijhcs.com/index Page 2041 Volume 3 Issue 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND June 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 In the below figure (No. 1) there is a sample of Sassanid coin representing all details which is useful for more accurate study and limpid imagination of images, figures, symbols and script on the coins because a universal picture can be made in the mind about Sassanid coins. Figure No. 1 The study and survey on the coins obtained from Sassanid era shows that these details and elements are occasionally more or less, sometimes with a little differences and sometimes it may be faded away. For example, there are symbols or emblems in shape of three stars, crescent, and stars on four sides (up, down, left and right) of a coin and a double chain circle rather than a single chain circle is seen on some coins related to this era. Symbols employed in Sassanid coins: In general, examining and concluding all details on the coins obtained from Sassanid kings, all information included on the reverse and obverse of Sassanid kings’ coins can be summarized as follow: Obverse of a coin: 1. Kingship symbol on the middle of the coin next to the crown 2. Kingship symbol on the crown’s ball 3. Kingship symbol on the king’s shoulder 4. Symbol of king’s successor on the king’s shoulder 5. Moon crescent and a star on the ball of king’s crown 6. Three point in the middle of the coin Reverse of a coin: 1. Kingship symbols on column of a fireplace 2. Kingship symbols on the left hand of fireplace flames 3. Kingship symbols on the right hand of fireplace flames 4. Symbols of king’s successor on the right hand of fireplace flames 5. Moon crescent above king’s head or/and God 6. Three points on column of fireplace 7. Symbol of king’s successor on fireplace column 8. Three points on the right or left side of fireplace flames Probably, Fireplace indicates a symbol of religious status in Sassanid coins and two Sassanid guards watch this ideology. On the king’s crown one of the kinds of Ardeshir I, Shapur I and Shapur II’ coins http://www.ijhcs.com/index Page 2042 Volume 3 Issue 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND June 2016 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 there was the avatar of Ahura Mazda and on Bahram I’s crown there was radius on Mitra’s head and on Nersy’s, Shapur III and maybe Hurmozad Ardeshir’s crown there was Anahita and on kingship crown of Bahram II and Hurmoz II and one of the coins of Shapur I can be seen. Therefore, the images on the obverse and reverse sides of Sassanid coins exactly indicate vicissitudes created in the ideology and changes appeared in Sassanid art. (Lukonin, 1384, 253) Images used on the coins a) Obverse of the coins On Sassanid coins, the king’s picture is seen which his face is almost always towards right. Every king owned his own special crown, but some kings had different crowns. Sometimes, on Sassanid coins, king of the kings’ image or/and a trilogy image of king of the kings, lady of the ladies and king’s successor were drawn which this combination was exclusive for Bahram II’s coins. b) Reverse of the coins On reverse side of the coins a fireplace is created in which flames are obvious. There is the image of king and queen or king and prince or one the Zoroastrian gods: Mitra and Anahita; but from the meiddle of Sassanid period onwards two magi are seen on two side of fireplace. On the back of the coins obtained from Hormoz II period the image of gods, probably Ahura Mazda is seen in the fire. On one type of coins of Ardeshir I, Shapur I and Shapur II usually the image of Ahuram Mazda was minted on the back of coins along with kings’. But in Shapur I and II image of Ahra Mazda is seen. From Hormoz period on two images of gods are appeared in the fire which it remained, more or less, to Belashad period. On coins of Hormuz I, Bahram I and Bahram II the image of Mitra is seen. But on coins of Bahram I there are beams around Mitra’s head. in early days, Sassanid Kings: Shapur III or maybe Hormoz Ardeshir , particularly on Narseh coins, the image of Anahita is seen which was the symbol of god of war and victory.
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