Item number: A1325

Year: AD 459-484

Material: Gold

Size: 20.2 x 19.2 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 3.7 g

Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2024

This is a gold Dinar minted during the reign of Peroz I (AD 438-457) of the Persian Sasanian Empire. Sasanian coinage is notable for its distinctly Persian characteristics, often featuring inscriptions in Pahlavi script to emphasise the prominence of Zoroastrianism.

The obverse of the coin features a right-facing bust of the king, referred to in the Sasanian Empire as the “Shah,” meaning “King of Kings.” Each ruler had a distinctive style and a signature crown, adorned with various symbolic elements. Decorations such as victory wings, a glory ribbon, and a crescent moon—symbolising piety—carried unique meanings specific to the king’s reign and ideology.

The reverse of the coin depicts a Zoroastrian fire altar, known in Persian as Atashdan, often flanked by symbols such as censers or priestly attendants. Zoroastrians believed that the sacred fire served as a medium for communication with Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity. In this context, the fire altar held a central role in the Sasanian Empire, akin to the use of the cross on the reverse of coins issued by their contemporaneous rival, the Roman/Byzantine Empire.

After defeating his brother Hormizd III, Peroz I successfully quelled a rebellion in the Kingdom of Caucasian Albania and annexed the western territories of the Kidarites, temporarily gaining control of Bactria. However, starting in AD 474, Peroz engaged in repeated conflicts with the Hephthalites, former allies, over control of Bactria. Peroz was captured by the Hephthalites twice, and during this period, Iran was reeling from a prolonged famine. The high ransom demands for his release and the devastation caused by the famine drained the royal treasury.

In AD 482, Vardan Mamikonian, a national hero of Armenia, led a revolt against the Sasanian Empire. Peroz was unable to suppress this uprising before facing another challenge. In AD 484, during his third campaign against the Hephthalites, Peroz was killed in battle, marking a significant turning point for the Sasanian Empire.

Zoroastrianism, also known as Mazdaism or the “Fire-Worshipping Religion,” was the most influential religion across the Middle East and Central Asia before the rise of Islam, centred on the Iranian Plateau. Its teachings revolve around the dualistic struggle between good and evil, with fire revered as a symbol of light and purity. This veneration of fire is closely linked to the region’s natural abundance of exposed oil and natural gas deposits, where adherents often constructed fire altars for worship.

To this day, travellers in the Middle East and Central Asia can visit numerous Zoroastrian fire altar ruins, some of which have been converted into Islamic mosques.

物件編號: A1325

年代: 公元 459-484 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 20.2 x 19.2 x 0.5 mm

重量: 3.7 g

來源: 海瑞德拍賣行 2024

這是一枚波斯薩珊王朝卑路斯一世（公元438-457年）鑄造的第納爾金幣。薩珊王朝的錢幣極具波斯的本土特色，經常以巴列維文來強調瑣羅亞斯德教的地位。

錢幣正面為國王的右側半身像，薩珊王朝的統治者稱作「沙阿」意思為「王中之王」。每一位國王都有自己獨特的風格和標誌性的王冠，不同的飾品諸如勝利之翼、榮耀絲巾和象徵虔誠的月亮都有各自獨特的含意。

錢幣背面則是瑣羅亞斯德教的火壇，波斯語稱之為阿特什坦。祭壇兩側的圖像會以香爐或祭司作為裝飾。瑣羅亞斯德教徒相信透過聖火能跟至高無上的神明阿胡拉·馬茲達溝通和交流。從這一點來看，火壇對於薩珊王朝的地位，類似他們同時期最大的競爭對手，羅馬/拜占庭帝國在錢幣背面使用的十字架意象。

卑路斯一世擊敗自己的兄長霍爾馬茲德三世後，成功平息高加索阿爾巴尼亞王國的叛亂，並接著併吞西方寄多羅人的領土，得以短暫控制巴克特里雅地區。然而自公元474年開始，卑路斯一世與曾為同盟的嚈噠人在巴克特里雅反覆交戰。卑路斯一世共被嚈噠人俘虜過兩次，此時伊朗本土剛經歷長期的饑荒，高昂的贖金與災情使國庫陷入空虛。公元482年亞美尼亞民族英雄瓦爾丹·馬米科尼揚起兵反抗薩珊王朝，卑路斯一世尚未來得及平息動亂，就在兩年後的公元484年與嚈噠人的第三次戰事中身亡。

瑣羅亞斯德教又稱作祆教或拜火教，是伊斯蘭教誕生以前以伊朗高原為中心，在中東和中亞最具影響力的宗教。教義以善惡二元對立論為中心，崇拜象徵光明的火焰，恰巧在中東和中亞一帶有許多露天的石油或天然氣，故教徒多半就近搭設祭祀用的火壇。迄今遊歷中東至中亞的旅人，仍能拜訪許多瑣羅亞斯德教留下的火壇遺址，或是在遺址基礎上改建的伊斯蘭教清真寺。