Who Were the Sasanians?

The Sasanian Empire arose in the early third century AD in the Persian lands then dominated by the Parthian Arsacid dynasty.

Its founder, Ardashir I, emerged from Persis, or Fars, the old Persian heartland. After defeating the Arsacid king Artabanus IV in AD 224, Ardashir established a new dynasty that would rule much of Persia and Mesopotamia until the seventh century.

The Sasanians consciously presented themselves as kings of a Persian imperial tradition, though it is too simple to describe them as merely “restoring the Achaemenid Empire.” Their institutions developed in their own late antique world.

For the broader story, see Ancient Persian Coins: A Beginner's Guide From Darics to Sasanian Drachms.

Ardashir I and the Fall of the Parthians

Before the Sasanians, Rome’s major eastern rival had been the Parthian Empire. Rome and Parthia fought for centuries over Armenia, Mesopotamia and influence in the Near East. The change from Arsacid to Sasanian rule intensified that rivalry under a new dynasty.

Shapur I: Persia’s Great Third-Century King

Shapur I became one of the most formidable rulers Rome faced during the Crisis of the Third Century. He spent much of his reign contesting Roman power in Mesopotamia, the Levant and Armenia.

Gordian III Invades Persia

In AD 243–244, the young Roman emperor Gordian III led a major eastern campaign against the Sasanians. Shapur’s inscription records a Persian victory at Misiche and associates Gordian’s death with the campaign, while Roman sources preserve different traditions.

It is safer to say Gordian died during the failed Persian campaign than to claim confidently that Shapur personally killed him in battle.

Philip the Arab Makes Peace

After Gordian’s death, Philip the Arab became emperor and negotiated peace with Shapur. Sasanian royal propaganda presented the agreement as a Persian triumph; Roman political presentation naturally framed events differently.

Shapur Captures Antioch

During renewed campaigns in the 250s, Sasanian forces penetrated deeply into Roman territory and captured major cities, including Antioch. Persian occupation was not permanent, but the capture demonstrated the reach of Sasanian military power.

The Capture of a Roman Emperor

In AD 260, Valerian was captured alive by Shapur I near Edessa. The exact circumstances—battle, negotiations, or a combination—are not completely certain, but the central fact is secure: a reigning Roman emperor became the prisoner of the Sasanian king.

What Happened to Valerian?

Later Christian authors told stories of extreme humiliation, including the famous footstool story. Those details are not securely established. Valerian remained a Persian captive and never returned to rule Rome; beyond that, the exact conditions of his captivity and death are uncertain.

Shapur Carves His Victory in Stone

Shapur commemorated his successes over Roman emperors in monumental reliefs and inscriptions in the Persian heartland, including famous scenes at Naqsh-e Rustam and Bishapur.

The message was unmistakable: the King of Kings had defeated Rome.

Rome Strikes Back Through Palmyra

Odaenathus of Palmyra mounted successful countercampaigns against Sasanian territory and became one of the most powerful men in the Roman East, helping set the stage for the later Palmyrene power of Zenobia and Vabalathus.

What Did the Sasanians Believe?

Zoroastrianism held a central place in Sasanian royal ideology and public religious life. Yet the empire governed a diverse population that included Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, Manichaeans and other communities.

What Do Sasanian Coins Look Like?

On the obverse, the ruler usually appears in profile wearing an elaborate crown or headdress. On the reverse, a fire altar normally occupies the center, often accompanied by two attendants.

The Silver Drachm

The dominant Sasanian collector coin is the silver drachm. These coins are typically broad and thin, providing a large surface for royal portraiture and inscriptions. Many later drachms survive in significant quantities, making some surprisingly approachable.

The Crown Is an Identification Tool

Sasanian kings used distinctive royal headgear incorporating crescents, wings, globes, ribbons and other elements. Crown forms are extremely important for attribution, though some rulers changed crown forms and details can vary.

Why Is There a Fire Altar?

The reverse fire altar reflects the religious and royal symbolism of the Sasanian state. Sacred fire was central to Zoroastrian worship, and the altar became a powerful visual expression of legitimate kingship and religious order.

What Language Appears on Sasanian Coins?

Sasanian coin inscriptions commonly use Middle Persian written in Pahlavi script. Later drachms often provide mint signatures and regnal years, allowing relatively precise attribution.

Mints and Regnal Years

The Sasanian Empire operated numerous mints. Later issues often identify the mint with abbreviations, while regnal dates indicate the year of a ruler’s reign.

Sasanian Silver and Long-Distance Trade

Sasanian silver circulated well beyond the empire’s political borders. Drachms and their imitations have been found across Central Asia and into regions connected with Eurasian trade networks.

Collecting Sasanian Coins

A collection can be organized by ruler, crown type, mint, regnal year, Roman-Persian wars, religious imagery or the transition from Sasanian to early Islamic coinage.

Shapur II and the Long Persian-Roman Rivalry

Later kings continued fighting Roman and Byzantine emperors across Armenia and Mesopotamia. Shapur II became another formidable opponent of Rome during his exceptionally long reign.

Khosrow I and Khosrow II

Khosrow I Anushirvan became one of the most celebrated Sasanian rulers. A century later, Khosrow II saw Persian forces capture large parts of the eastern Byzantine Empire before Emperor Heraclius launched a successful counteroffensive.

How Did the Sasanian Empire End?

After the exhausting war with Byzantium, succession disputes and civil conflict weakened the monarchy. Arab-Muslim armies then defeated Sasanian forces in a series of campaigns. The last shah, Yazdegerd III, died in AD 651.

Persian society and Sasanian monetary traditions did not vanish overnight.

Arab-Sasanian Coins

After the conquests, authorities continued issuing coins derived from Sasanian drachm designs. These Arab-Sasanian issues retained the familiar royal portrait and fire altar while adding Arabic elements.

Did Persia Invent Chess?

No secure evidence shows that the Sasanians invented chess. The game's earliest development is generally associated with India, after which it reached the Persian world and became deeply embedded in Persian culture.

Why Sasanian Coins Matter

Roman history looks very different when viewed from Persia. Gordian III’s final campaign becomes a Sasanian victory inscription. Philip’s peace becomes royal propaganda for Shapur. Valerian’s disappearance becomes a monument celebrating the Persian King of Kings.

Sasanian coins give collectors the other side of a conflict too often told only through Roman emperors.

Roman history looks very different when viewed from Persia.

History wasn't just written. It was minted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who were the Sasanians?

The Sasanians were a Persian dynasty that ruled a major empire from the third through seventh centuries AD and became Rome and Byzantium’s principal eastern imperial rival.

Which Roman emperor did Shapur I capture?

Shapur I captured Valerian, Roman emperor from AD 253 to 260.

What language is written on Sasanian coins?

Many Sasanian legends are in Middle Persian written in Pahlavi script.

Are Sasanian coins Persian coins?

Yes. The Sasanian Empire was a Persian imperial state centered in Persia and Mesopotamia, and its coinage is one of the major traditions of ancient Persian numismatics.