Coins struck at Ctesiphon
1 catalogued coin and note attributed to Ctesiphon, with weights, legends, dates and Wikimedia-sourced images across Sasanian Empire.
In short
Ctesiphon on the Tigris was the winter capital of the Parthian and Sasanian empires and the political centre of their coinage — the seat whose mint signatures and court style set the standard the provincial workshops copied. Ctesiphon is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 1 coin and note struck between 224 CE – 242 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Drachm denominations, issued under Ardashir I (founder).
- Catalogued
- 1
- Eras
- 1
- Metals
- 1
- Denominations
- 1
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 224 CE – 242 CE |
| Eras represented | Sasanian Empire |
| Metals | Silver |
| Denominations | Drachm |
| Issuers | Ardashir I (founder) |
| Location | Tigris, near modern Salman Pak, Iraq |
| Capital of | Parthian and Sasanian empires |
| Monument | Taq Kisra, the great vaulted hall |
| Fell | 637 CE to Arab forces |
Imperial capital
From the first century BCE the Arsacids wintered at Ctesiphon opposite Hellenistic Seleucia, and the Sasanians made it the administrative heart of an empire reaching from Mesopotamia to Central Asia. The great brick vault of Taq Kisra still standing at the site is its surviving monument.
Coin production in the capital region is closely tied to court ceremonial: accession issues, regnal-year sequences and the fire-altar reverse iconography of the Sasanian state were formulated here and diffused outward through the mint network.
Mint signatures and attribution
Sasanian drachms carry abbreviated mint signatures in Pahlavi on the reverse, and the readings of capital-region signatures remain debated among specialists. Attribution therefore relies on a combination of signature, regnal year, portrait style and crown type rather than on any single element.
The city fell to Arab armies in 637 CE. Its mint tradition did not stop: Arab-Sasanian governors continued to strike the same drachm design, adding Arabic marginal legends to unchanged Sasanian dies.
Sasanian Empire · 224 – 651 CE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Ctesiphon
- Was Ctesiphon a mint?
- The capital region was a major centre of Sasanian and Parthian coin production, though the precise reading of capital-area mint signatures on Sasanian drachms is still debated.
- What happened to Ctesiphon's coinage after 637?
- It continued. Arab-Sasanian governors struck the same drachm types with added Arabic legends for decades before the Islamic reform of 696–697 CE.
- What coins were struck at Ctesiphon?
- Ctesiphon is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 1 coin and note struck between 224 CE – 242 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Drachm denominations, issued under Ardashir I (founder).
- How many Ctesiphon pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 1 item, dated 224 CE – 242 CE, spread across 1 era: Sasanian Empire.
- Which metals were used for Ctesiphon coinage?
- Silver. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Ctesiphon?
- Drachm. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.