Sasanian Empire, Shapur II, Silver Drachma, 4.17g, Eastern or ‘Kapisa’ series, no Mint signature (MAC# 891). Pierced, fine+.
Sasanian Empire (AD 224-651) was the last Iranian empire before the rise of Islam was founded by Ardashir I, after the fall of the Parthian Empire, was recognized as one of the leading world powers alongside its neighbouring arch rival the Roman-Byzantine Empire. At its greatest extent, the Sasanian Empire encompassed all of today's Iran, Iraq, Eastern Arabia (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatif, Qatar, UAE), the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan), the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia,Azerbaijan, Dagestan, South Ossetia, Abkhazia), Egypt, large parts of Turkey, much of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan), Yemen and Pakistan. Sasanian Empire was considered to have been one of Iran's most important and influential historical periods, and constituted the last great Iranian empire before the Muslim conquest and the adoption of Islam. In many ways, the Sasanian period witnessed the peak of Iranian civilization.