Coin of the Sasanian emperor Bahram II

The Sasanian empire (224–651) spanned a territory that included parts of what are today Oman, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Sasanians controlled the lucrative trade along much of the so-called Silk Road, which connected China to West Asia and the Mediterranean.

Artisans of the Sasanian empire created, in addition to impressive royal palaces and monumental sculpture, a wide range of brilliant silver vessels, textiles, and other luxury goods. Small objects such as coins helped to spread and preserve Sasanian motifs, which would be copied and revived in later periods.

An unusual attribute of Sasanian royal portraits is the elaborate royal crown, as seen in the top object. Sasanian emperors linked themselves with the long heritage of Persian imperial reign, particularly with the much earlier Achaemenid empire (550–330 BCE). Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s earliest monotheistic religions, was associated with the Achaemenids, and the Sasanians chose to make it their state religion. Depicted on the lower coin is a Zoroastrian fire altar, of which several Sasanian examples have been archaeologically excavated.