Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

Lot 4591    Session 16 (9.30am Friday)    Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

Estimate $250
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $260

SASANIAN, kings of Persia, Shahpur II, (309-379), silver drachm (3.96 g), Western (Aspahan?) mint, obv. degraded Pahlavi legend, crowned and cuirassed bust right, rev. degraded Pahlavi legend, fire altar with attendants and ribbon, taurus and fravahr (wreath) symbols flanking flames, (Gobl, Kushan 1247, Gobl Ib/2, Paruck 200, Alram 778, MACW 871, De Morgan pg. 688, 113). Good very fine, scarce of good style.

Ex Decades Collection and previously from CNG Triton VII Auction, 14-14 January, 2004 (lot 614).

Shahpur II was a minor upon his succession, so his mother served as regent, but real power devolved upon the nobility. Suprisingly, Shahpur was able to assert his control when he came of age. Internally, he saw a reinvigoration of the state religion, resulting in a new round of persecutions of other religions, Christianity in particular.

Like his previous namesake, Shahpur took aggressive action against Rome. In 346 AD, he renewed pressure on the eastern Roman borders, which had remained relatively quiet since the Galerius' defeat by Narse in 297 AD. While Shahpur was victorious in minor battles, he failed to secure the town of Nisibis, which provided the Romans a base of operations deep in Mesopotamia. After a respite of two years, Constantius II renewed the war in the hopes of finally ending the troubles with Persia, but Shahpur captured the Roman-held town of Singara. Because of trouble in the west, Constantius was forced to leave command of the war to his subordinates. Seizing this opportunity, Shahpur once again tried to take Nisibis, but was again thwarted. Due to pressure from the Huns, he soon withdrew, but renewed the conflict in 358 AD. At the same time, the new Roman emperor Julian, wishing to emulate and surpass Trajan, embarked on a massive Persian campaign. He reached Ktesiphon, but was mortally wounded in a skirmish. His successor, Jovian, sued for peace and surrenderd four of the five provinces that Galerius had gained over sixty years earlier. These, added to Armenia, which Shahpur's forces had captured, formed a new zone of buffer states for the Sasanians. This peace endured for the remainder of Shahpur's reign.