Drachm of Bahram IV

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The coin’s obverse features the bust of the Sasanian king Bahram IV, who wears a crown with a diadem and one pair of wings, a single crenellation, a globe and two fillets. On the reverse, the king is depicted both to the right and the left of a flaming fire altar. Royal central authorities controlled all Sasanian mints and in general, the ruler is depicted on Sasanian coins with his individual crown. Coins for thirty-two Sasanian rulers are known and in addition to their significance for economic history, royal coin portraits enable the identification of depictions of kings on other media, such as stucco and rock reliefs and silver plates.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art