Ardeshir II
379 - 383 AD
Ardašīr | Ardashir | اردشیر دوم | 𐭠𐭥𐭲𐭧𐭱𐭲𐭥
Recreation of Ardeshir II with green, embroidered and bejeweled fabric crown. He was likely in his seventies when crowned as the ShahanShah of Eranshahr. Download
Ardeshir II’s headgear is similar to that of Ardeshir I, the founder of the Sassanid Empire, around a century earlier. Download
Ver.1 - Last updated: Aug 20th 2021
Ardashir the son of Hormizd II and younger half brother of Shapur II, was vassal king of Adiabene from 344 to 376. It is believed that during his tenure he took part in the defense of the Sasanian Empire with Shapur when it was invaded by the Roman Emperor Julian (r. 361–363). Ardashir is the last figure to be recorded as king of Adiabene, which implies that the kingdom was after his tenure transformed into a province (shahr), governed by a non-royal delegate (marzban or shahrab) of the Sasanian shah. In 379, Shapur II designated Ardashir as his successor, and made him vow to abdicate when Shapur's son, Shapur III reached adulthood.
-Wikipedia
Insignia
References
There is a rock relief in Taq-e Bostan that is believed to be of Ardeshir II, receiving the kingship either Shapur II or Ahura-Mazda. In this relief, it is apparent that, Ardeshir does not have a cover on his hair.
Multiple coins of Ardeshir II, that show fabric headgear similar to that of Ardeshir I. There are details in some coins that show that the fabric might have been bejeweled.
Visual Description in Literature
“His vest is embroidered and speckled in sky-blue, … his crown is green…“ -Hamzah Isfahani
from - The 'History of the Kings of the Persians' in Three Arabic Chronicles: The Transmission of the Iranian Past from Late Antiquity to Early Islam (Translated Texts for Historians LUP) Paperback – September 1, 2018 - by Robert G. Hoyland
Page 67
Likely Accuracy of the Creative Recreation
Between a ‘Wild’ and a ‘Weak’ Guess:
Due to the short period of kingship and low number of coins found, this image would not be considered a strong guess. In addition, the coins that were found do not give us an exact picture of what Ardeshir II could have looked like, due to variety of depiction and the stylized nature of coins at this stage of the empire. With the availability of a with a rock relief in Tagh-e Bostan of Ardeshir II, we can cross reference certain featured and clothing items with the coins and create a closer picture which is what has been done for the making of this image.
Note: There are beautiful plates found with depiction of a Sassanian King that some believe to be of Ardeshir II. But since the identification is not certain, they were not used in this recreation.
See the latest work in progress:
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