Royal Numismatic Society 2025 Medallist’s Address
by Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis
Gods and Kings on Parthian and Sasanian Coins
16 December 2025, 6PM GMT
The Royal Asiatic Society and On Zoom
Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, RNS Medallist for 2025, will deliver a talk on the significance of coins as an important propaganda tool for the Parthian and Sasanian dynasties to promote an ideology that is deeply embedded in the intricate relationship between kingship and religion. The Arsacid Parthians, an Iranian dynasty from northeast Iran, rebelled against their Seleucid overlords and by 140 BC had seized power in western Iran and Mesopotamia. Their coinage broadly followed the Hellenistic pattern of placing the king’s bust on the obverse, and the seated archer on the reverse of their silver drachms, while their tetradrachms from Seleucia on the Tigris and Susa focused more on the king in the presence of divine beings. Bronze coins or civic issues had a wide range of themes, including objects and animals well known from Hellenistic coins. By the first century BC the Arsacid king surrounded himself on his coinage with divine symbols that emphasized his legitimate rule.
With the arrival of the new Sasanian dynasty from southern Iran the connection between kingship and religion was clear from the beginning, as their Middle Persian coin legends and monumental inscriptions stated their religious affiliation as worshipers of Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian Lord of Wisdom. An abundance of motifs and symbols appeared on their coins clearly stating the importance of the Zoroastrian religion and the status of the king as the guardian of the sacred fire.
No such interpretation exists with the iconography of Arsacid Parthian coins, as these two dynasties are traditionally regarded as two separate identities. This talk will aim to show that the iconography of Arsacid Parthians coins should also be interpreted as Zoroastrian inspired, and we should move away from a Helleno-centric interpretation.
The event will take place on Zoom and in person at the Royal Asiatic Society, 14 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HD.
The event is free to attend.
The lecture will take place at 6PM GMT.
Join online at this link.