Coins Posters

The Coins table featured coins, seals, and administrative documents from Ancient Iran. Our exhibit benefited from the expertise of Scott McDonough, a history professor at William Paterson University, who manned the table and brought his collection of ancient coins to share with visitors. Dr. McDonough also delivered an exciting lecture on the imagery and evolution of Sasanian numismatics.

Left: Volunteer Dr. McDonough shows a visitor his collection at the Coins table.

All posters are free to download and use.

The Achaemenid Empire developed an extensive road network, which allowed for the movement of troops, couriers, and traders across its territory at unprecedented speeds.

Achaemenid kings made the minting of coinage a royal prerogative, and considered rival mints within the empire rebellious.

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After displacing Darius III as the King of Kings, Alexander of Macedon adopted many features of Iranian administration and rulership.

Seleucus I inherited most of the territory Alexander the Great had wrested from the Achaemenids. He and his successors used coinage to convey his image as a conqueror in the tradition of Alexander.

The Arsacid dynasty needed to balance its empire's diverse cultural and ethnic populations. Their strategies included the selections of titles designed to appeal to Greek colonists within Iran.

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As their rule progressed, Arsacid monarchs increasingly drew upon the imagery of the Achaemenid past, replacing Greek influences with Iranian symbolism and artistic models.

Under the Sasanian Empire, coins were produced by a factory-like process involving numerous craftsmen, who minted issues in bronze, silver, and gold.

Zoroastrian clergy were deeply embedded in the administrative fabric of the Sasanian Empire. Priests like Kirdir regularly deployed seals as markers of their political authority.

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The Sasanian government continued the millennia-old tradition of using seals to certify administrative documents. Each official, from kings to regional officials, owned a unique seal.