A hemidrachm and drachm of
Ahmadinejad Vadfradad II (well, he does rather look like him and it could be a relative...) (edited: I forgot to strikeout Ahmadinejad when I posted this. It was a joke, a 'totally looks like")
Due to the influence of Noob and others I've sought out some examples of coins beyond the usual Greek and Roman ancients. These are surprisingly affordable and are my only 'mint state' ancients. So far
KINGDOM OF PERSIS, Vadfradad (Autophradates) IIMid-2nd century BCAR hemidrachm, 2.06 gm
Obv: head of Vadfradad right with short beard, wearing diadem and kyrbasia adorned with eagle
Rev: fire temple, Ahura-Mazda above; to left, Vadfradad standing right; to right, vexillum standard surmounted by eagle.
Ref: Sunrise 578.
KINGDOM OF PERSIS, Vadfradad (Autophradates) II
Mid-2nd century BCAR drachm, 4.13 gm
Obv: head of Vadfradad right with short beard, wearing diadem and kyrbasia adorned with eagle
Rev: fire temple, Ahura-Mazda above; to left, Vadfradad standing right; to right, vexillum standard surmounted by eagle
Ref: K&M 3/2. Alram 547. Sunrise 576.
Not a great deal of information about this kingdom and these coins, but there is some scholarly information here:
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articl...sis-kings-ofIn looking at these coins and reading the descriptions, I had no idea what a kyrbasia was. From the British Museum:
Quote:
...a kind of cap worn by the Persians, which may be recognised in several representations of Satraps in Greek art. This head-dress appears to have been a conical cap made of linen or some flexible material, of which the point fell forward on the forehead. The back of the cap falls down the nape of the neck to protect it from the sun. Long flaps from the sides are twisted together across the mouth.
Nor was I familiar with Ahura-Mazda (though I've seen Acuras and Mazdas :D). Turns out it is the Zoroastrian God. Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, began in ancient Iran some 3500 years ago, founded by the prophet Zarathustra. More about Zoroastrians here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/relig...zoroastrian/And speaking of Zarathustra, for an utterly fantastic jazz rendition of
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, aka the iconic music from
2001: A Space Odyssey), check out this rendition by Brazilian artist Eumir Deodato:
http://www.last.fm/music/Deodato/_/Also sprach Zarathustra
...which I first heard in one of my all-time favorite movies,
Being There, the last film Peter Sellers completed.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078841..._=fn_al_tt_1
Posted 12/05/2013 12:46 am
