Abstract This article examines the longstanding rivalry of Rome and Parthia, which began as an unintended consequence of Crassus’ decisive defeat at Carrhae in 53 BCE. It synthesizes the accounts and opinions of numerous Graeco-Roman... more
Abstract This article examines the longstanding rivalry of Rome and Parthia, which began as an unintended consequence of Crassus’ decisive defeat at Carrhae in 53 BCE. It synthesizes the accounts and opinions of numerous Graeco-Roman writers from the Augustan Age to late antiquity in order to help illustrate the new and interconnected post-Carrhae world and its legacy. The rivalry of the Romans and Parthians became a primary focus of their foreign policies and drastically expanded their perceptions of the world in which they interacted. Even after the fall of the Parthians to the rebellious Sassanid Persians in the 220s CE, the Romans continued to find their three-century-long rivalry with the Parthians of interest and relevant to the changing world of late antiquity.
"AE" FRACTIONS FROM THE REIGN OF THIS SASANIAN KING HAVE HARDLY BEEN RECOGNIZED OR PUBLISHED. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES TWO EXAMPLES OF "AE" FRACTIONS OR PASHIZES WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE
Sakestan has always been an important region during the Sassanian era. The mints of this region have been the most active of all in Iranshahr from the reign of Khosrow I to Khosrow II, demonstrating the full dominance of Sassanians over... more
Sakestan has always been an important region during the Sassanian era. The mints of this region have been the most active of all in Iranshahr from the reign of Khosrow I to Khosrow II, demonstrating the full dominance of Sassanians over Sakestan. After the death of Khosrow II, the mints of the region were inactive intermittently. A coin from the reign of Ardashir III which is currently kept in Hazrat Masumeh Museum of Qom is the only gold coin found of this king and the first with the mint mark of Sakestan. In this research, apart from studying this coin and comparing the findings with archeological data from the late Sassanian period in Sakestan, the political situation of southeastern Iran after Khosrow II has been explored using the archeological and historical data. This paper is considered an original research concerning its objective, and a historical and analytical-descriptive research in terms of its methodology and context. Data and information gathering were carried out in the field and library. Based on the results of this study, it seems that Sakestan region was under the control of the main branch of Sassanian dynasty, loyal to Khosrow II during the late Sassanian period. The importance of this study is that it can clarify the political status of southeastern Iran in the late Sassanian period based on new findings. ناحیه سکستان همواره در دوران ساسانی از اهمیت خاصی برخوردار بوده است. از دوران خسرو یکم تا خسرو دوم ضراب‌خانه منتسب به این منطقه از فعال‌ترین ضراب‌خانه‌های ایرانشهر به شمار می‌رفته که نشانگر تسلط کامل ساسانیان بر این منطقه است. پس از مرگ خسرو دوم ضراب‌خانه این ناحیه در مقاطع گوناگون زمانی فاقد فعالیت بوده است. امروزه سکه‌ای متعلق به اردشیر سوم در موزه آستانه مقدسه حضرت معصومه(س) قم نگهداری می‌شود که تنها سکه طلا از این شاهنشاه ساسانی و همچنین نخستین سکه از وی با علامت ضراب‌خانه سکستان می‌باشد که تاکنون به‌دست‌آمده است. در این پژوهش سعی شده تا ضمن مطالعه این سکه نویافته و سنجش آن در کنار سایر یافته‌های باستان‌شناختی به‌دست‌آمده از اواخر دوران ساسانی در سکستان، وضعیت سیاسی نواحی جنوب شرقی ایران در دوران پس از خسرو دوم، بر‌اساس شواهد تاریخی و داده‌های باستان‌شناختی موردبررسی قرار گیرد. این مقاله از نظر هدف تحقیق از نوع تحقیقات بنیادی و ازنظر روش و ماهیت تحقیق نیز پژوهشی تاریخی و توصیفی-تحلیلی محسوب می‌گردد، همچنین گردآوری داده‌ها در آن به صورت میدانی-کتابخانه‌ای است. بر‌اساس نتایج حاصل از این پژوهش به نظر می‌رسد که ناحیه سکستان در اواخر دوران ساسانی تحت فرمانروایی شاخه اصلی دودمان ساسانی و وفادار به خسرو دوم بوده است. این مقاله از این منظر مورد اهمیت است که می‌تواند وضعیت گرایش‌های سیاسی جنوب شرقی ایران در اواخر دوره ساسانی را بر‌اساس یافته‌ای نوین تا حدود زیادی روشن سازد.
Sassanid Empire is at the turning point of Ancient and Medieval Ages. That's why some economic policies represent a continuity from the Ancient practices, but some such as land reform, applied as early as the first Shahs of Sassanid’s,... more
Sassanid Empire is at the turning point of Ancient and Medieval Ages. That's why some economic policies represent a continuity from the Ancient practices, but some such as land reform, applied as early as the first Shahs of Sassanid’s, can be conceived as the first instances of modern practices. Some Sassanid emperors had outstanding organizing capacity. Yet Shapur I was the 3rd emperor, aside capturing the Roman emperor Valerianus at Edassa war, took the necessary measurements to increase the fluidity of the economy. Khusru II was also a prominent emperor among the Sassanid Empire, he was considered as the last great King. He waged war with Romans as other Sassanid Kings, was able to lead his army up to shores of Constantinople but failed at the last of a long term war. The circulation of Drachmae during the time of Khusru II, was so vast; and not only Arabs but other Central Asian countries as Kushans or Hephtalites used directly or indirectly Sassanid coins or casts in order to regulate their economic systems. Therefore, the inventories of major museums, generally have Khusru II's coins.
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method... more
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method was applied to a series of Sasanian lead coins from the Royal Museums of Art and History as well as a private collection. Elemental analysis was performed using micro-X-ray fluorescence. Isotopic analysis was performed using multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Lead isotope analysis showed that at least four distinct sources of lead were used over time by the Sasanians to produce coins. Elemental analysis revealed three compositional groups distinct from the isotope groups, showing that a change in composition did not necessarily follow a change in raw materials supply. The uniformity of isotope compositions within particular periods, and of chemical composition across different mints, may point to a central control of both raw material supply and composition of Sasanian lead coins.
The representations of the Sasanian coins published in “Une collection de monnaies sassanides de billon, de cuivre et de plomb” by Rika Gyselen & Malek Iradj Mochiri are all based on images made with the so-called Portable Light Dome... more
The representations of the Sasanian coins published in “Une collection de monnaies sassanides de billon, de cuivre et de plomb” by Rika Gyselen & Malek Iradj Mochiri are all based on images made with the so-called Portable Light Dome (PLD) system, a multi-light/directional reflectance technique. With this method both sides of each coin have been imaged, A. to facilitate their study, B. to digitally safeguard them for curatorial purposes and C. to allow researchers to publish adequately those visualisations of the coin’s surface they selected in support to their study and findings.
La masse théorique du drahm sassanide de Khosrow II (s91-628) Il est généralement admis que la masse du drahm d'argent est stable du début à la fin de la période sassanide 1. cette stabilité pondérale du dratrm sous Khosrow II est mise en... more
La masse théorique du drahm sassanide de Khosrow II (s91-628) Il est généralement admis que la masse du drahm d'argent est stable du début à la fin de la période sassanide 1. cette stabilité pondérale du dratrm sous Khosrow II est mise en évidence par son monnayage fort abondant. La comparaison de plusieurs trésors sassanides tardifs par R. Gyselen 2 a montré que la masse moyenne x, comprise entre 4,04 g et 4,16 g, ne varie pas au cours du règne de Khosrow II. Des différences pondérales notables d'un atelier à I'autre n'ont pas été davantage observées.
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method... more
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method was applied to a series of Sasanian lead coins from the Royal Museums of Art and History as well as a private collection. Elemental analysis was performed using micro-X-ray fluorescence. Isotopic analysis was performed using multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Lead isotope analysis showed that at least four distinct sources of lead were used over time by the Sasanians to produce coins. Elemental analysis revealed three compositional groups distinct from the isotope groups, showing that a change in composition did not necessarily follow a change in raw materials supply. The uniformity of isotope compositions within particular periods, and of chemical composition across different mints, may point to a central control of both raw material supply and composition of Sasanian lead coins.
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method... more
This paper presents a new non-destructive sampling method for the lead isotope analysis of lead objects using acidified cotton swabs. The results are indistinguishable within error margin from conventional sampling methods. This method was applied to a series of Sasanian lead coins from the Royal Museums of Art and History as well as a private collection. Elemental analysis was performed using micro-X-ray fluorescence. Isotopic analysis was performed using multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Lead isotope analysis showed that at least four distinct sources of lead were used over time by the Sasanians to produce coins. Elemental analysis revealed three compositional groups distinct from the isotope groups, showing that a change in composition did not necessarily follow a change in raw materials supply. The uniformity of isotope compositions within particular periods, and of chemical composition across different mints, may point to a central control of both ra...
Sasanians for the first time in the Cultural history of Iran, minted symbols or letters on reverse of their coins that refers to Mint – place. One of the most complicated problems about Sasanian coinage is identification of Mint –... more
Sasanians for the first time in the Cultural history of Iran, minted symbols or letters on reverse of their coins that refers to Mint – place. One of the most complicated problems about Sasanian coinage is identification of Mint – places. To answering this question, we can throw new lights to administeral – social and economic system of Sasanian period. From Vahram IV (388-399) we have found letters on reverse of Sasanian coins (in 3 o'clock situation) which point to Mint – places. Europe scholars investigated these letters form the first decades of 19th century. Finally Mordtmann, himself, proved the relationship between these letters to Mint – places. Since that time some of these symbols and letters were identified, but some of them remind problematic. In this field effort of Goble is admirable. In this article we survey history of this matter and 49 symbols of Mint – place of Sasanian coins.
