Sylloge Nummorum Sasanidarum. Paris ‒ Berlin ‒ Wien, Band I

The new series Sylloge Nummorum Sasanidarum, Paris-Berlin-Wien, has as its aim the joint publication of the holdings of Sasanid coins preserved in the Cabinet des Médailles in Paris as well as the Münzkabinette in Berlin and Vienna. The three collections hold a total of ca. 11,000 of these coins, which will be published in 6 volumes. This first volume contains the coins of the founder of the dynasty, Ardashir I (224-240) and his son, Shapur I (240-272). It was during this foundation phase of the Sasanid state that the basic structures of Sasanid coinage system were established, structures that were preserved almost unchanged until the end of the dynasty in the 7th century. The catalogue of coins is complemented by an introductory chapter in German (Ardashir I) and French (Shapur I) containing a general survey of sources together with a brief historical survey and commentary on numismatic and monetary history. The aim is to demonstrate the value and informative status of the numismatic source material in the interplay with archaeological and epigraphic evidence and the literary record. An additional summary of the results in English is included. Of special interest is a section devoted to the palaeographic evaluation of Middle Persian coin legends by P. O. Skjærvø (Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University). A further chapter deals with extensive metal analyses which for the first time allow an insight into the composition of alloyages used for the various denominations of the Sasanid currency system.