Getty Museum

Drachm of Yazdgird III

Date

632–651

Medium

Silver

Culture

Near Eastern (Sasanian)

Department

Coins

Institution

Getty Museum

Yazdegard III, the king of the Sasanian empire of Iran in A.D. 632-651, is depicted on the front of this drahm. His coinage follows the pattern established by the first Sasanian kings some four centuries earlier: on the front, a portrait bust of the king; and on the back, a fire-altar flanked by attendants with spears, an image evoking the Zoroastrian religion of the Sasanids. On this coin, Yazdegard's elaborate crown is surmounted by a winged finial topped by a crescent and a star. In general, inscriptions on the front included the king's name and praises to his virtues, while those on the back specified the city in which the coin was minted and the year of issue. Yazdegard III was a child when he became king. Only five years later, in 637, the capital city of Ctesiphon fell to the Arabs, sealing the fate of the Sasanian kingdom, which at its height stretched from Syria to the Persian Gulf and India. Although Yazdegard fled from the invaders, he was murdered in 651. He was the last Sasanian king.

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.