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Shapur I
Philip I
Gordian III
Valerian
Iran before Islam: The Sasanians
Shapur I and the fight against Rome
Shapur I, the eldest son of Ardashir, was appointed joint ruler in 240, towards the end of his father's reign. He is depicted in a number of rock-reliefs wearing a stepped crown. Coins show him alongside his father wearing a plain hat. Sometimes he is shown with a hat terminating in a bird's head; this may have been the image of Shapur as crown prince or joint ruler.
Shapur I went to war with three Roman emperors during his reign (241-72). Relations with Rome had been tense before the Sasanians came to power, and during Ardashir I's reign there were clashes over the western border and control of Armenia and parts of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). In 244, Shapur's armies defeated and killed Gordian III near the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon in modern Iraq. Philip I, known as Philip the Arab, made peace in the same year and paid a large sum of money to Shapur. In 260 the Sasanian king and his troops defeated a third Roman Emperor, Valerian, who died in captivity in Parsa, southern Iran.
The defeated Roman emperors are shown here on three medallions: Gordian III and Philip I appear on silver medallions, Valerian is depicted on a bronze one. Philip is shown with his wife Otacilia and his son Philip II. All three emperors are depicted wearing laurel wreaths and dressed as military commanders. Gordian carries armour.