TEHRAN – Iranian authorities have recently confiscated four historical coins from two smugglers in Bojnourd, the capital of North Khorasan province.

Two of the objects, made of copper, have been estimated to date from the Parthian era (247 BC–224 CE) and the two other date back to the time of Safavid dynasty (1501–1736), CHTN quoted Hossein Asghar Qanbarzadeh, a senior police official in charge of protecting cultural heritage.

An unknown object was also recovered from the suspects, who were detained in this regard and surrendered to judicial system for further investigation, he added.

The two were arrested while making a deal in an antique market in Bojnourd.

The Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power which at its height stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran.

The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of the country, often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history.

AFM/MG