126 
BAHARAM AND HIS QUEEN. 
legend is — Mezdezn, bey , Valirahan , Malkan , Malka, Air an, 
Anairan, minochatri, men Yezdani: then follows a word, ap¬ 
parently terminating on the side of the globe in the diadem, 
but it is too confused to be legible, and two of the letters are 
placed in a second line. The reverse has the altar, and sup¬ 
porters ; who, being always thus royally crowned, must be meant 
to represent the sovereign dignity, upholding the glory of the 
Mithratic faith. The founder of the Sassanian dynasty had 
recovered it from the polytheistical corruptions, introduced by 
the Arsacidaean kings. On the altar-side, this coin has the words 
Valirahan Yezdani — <c Baharam the Divine.” 
No. 4. is a medal extremely rare, according to Sir William 
Ouseley ; who remarks, that he knows of no others of the same 
stamp, excepting one of gold in the possession of the king of 
France, and another in the collection of the late Dr. John 
Hunter. Its singularity consists in its having on its face the 
heads of a king, a queen, and a boy; and the supporters on the 
reverse being also the royal pair. The legends are the same as 
on No. 3., mentioning it to be “ Baharam the Divine, king of 
kings,” &c., and as the head-dress of the monarch, as well as 
his physiognomy, resembles the preceding, I do not doubt both 
being coins of the same Baharam. In describing the bas-relief 
at Nakshi-Roustam*, I noticed its similarity to the figures on this 
medal; and hence I judge it to be one of Baharam the Fifth, 
surnamed Gour. In the sculpture with his queen, at Nakshi- 
Roustam, there are no wings to his diadem ; but we find them 
in one of the bas-reliefs of his combat with the Tartar f prince, 
* See Plate XIX. Vol. I. p. 520. 
f See Plate XX. Vol. 1. p. 538. 
