Image Details

Bearing immense horns, three altars rest on the temple roof of this coin from Persis, a territory in the heart of ancient Persia. The doorway depicted on this third-century B.C. coin is used to represent the whole building. Above the altars a head protrudes from a winged disk. Numismatist Bluma Trell of New York University identifies this figure as the Persian sun god. To the left a priest or king worships the sun god. According to Trell, it is possible that this priest or king worshipped the sun god at the rooftop altars.