PARTHIAN - Kings of Elymais

Well, I finished being productive so now I can have at it!

 

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Which ruler would the reverse with bird on be attributed to? I am guessing an Orodes .... I have a few, but I'll be damned if I can find them...

 

This is Phraates. There are many variations of it but few show up in the bulk lots, it seems. This one was a separate lot in a Robinson auction. Are yours different?

 

Seriously nice coins, all!

Thanks to those who took the time to read the article. I wrote it mostly just for fun (the enjoyment of the research), but it's very satisfying to hear some find it useful.

Nice to touch base again, TC. Congrats on the Elymaean pick-ups.

 

I, too, read Bob L's article and found it very good and helpful. I own van Haaff, but Bob's good summary is worth reading. Like Bob, I find the research in putting something like that together is both fun and illuminating.

 

Mine have birds which look more like a dove flying ......from memory....I will dig them out when I get back from work and post.
I would like to get a set of these more common types if funds allow....
they appeal to me.

 

6th century bc? for what?

 

Here's a late issue from Elymais, of one of the rulers known only by a letter, with a reverse depicting Artemis/Diana (or possibly some local equivalent).

 

Welcome to CoinTalk, Parthicus

 

Yes, 'Welcome', Parthicus, and what a lovely coin (esp. the reverse).

 

YOC, your coin - if Elymaean - is likely Phraates, as Doug suggests. Phraates issued several different variations of the eagle reverses, so yours might well match one. There are also a number of bird reverses on Parthian chalkoi (Vologases V and VI, Artabanos II, Orodes II, etc.)...if the coin is Parthian there are a number of rulers it might be from. Looking forward to seeing your coin(s) posted.

Welcome, Parthicus. Nice "Prince A" drachm. That's a superb example of the type. Here's mine, with a much tighter flan. (And with a hugely-headed Artemis! As heavy as that head must be it's no wonder her body has been compressed.).

 

Cool post @Parthicus !!! ....and Welcome!!!!

 

I have no coins from Elymais. Yours is a beautiful example that will inspire me to look into capturing a few! Welcome to the Ancients Forum!

 

Welcome @Parthicus ! Hope you stick around and post more coins!

 

Thank you for the warm welcome, everyone! As you may have guessed from my username, my main collecting area is Parthian coins, but I have been known to pick up other ancients, world coins, classic US coins- basically, if it has some historical connection, I'm probably at least a little interested.

As a bonus, here's a real (i.e. main series, not some vassal) Parthian bronze. This type was attributed to Phraates III (c. 70- 57 BC) by Shore, and I don't feel like checking right now to see if that attribution has since changed. (You have to be willing to live with shifting attributions if you want to collect Parthian coins.) The reverse depicts an elephant.

 

welcome @Parthicus

that's an awesome facing AE parthian! AE parthian i son my "to get list" for sure.

 

Ain't it the truth...*sigh*

Nice coin, Parthicus! You probably know this, but your coin is a Sellwood 35.18. Sellwood listed his type 35's a "Darius?" (with the question mark).

To my knowledge, Dr. G.R.F. Assar, who is responsible for all of the recent re-attributions of Parthians, is in agreement with Shore in calling Sellwood type 35's Phraates III, so your attribution is good.

I don't know if you've been following the uploads of Schatz over the past two years at Forum...hers is probably the most extensive and impressive private collection of Parthians on the Web. And, just within the past few weeks, she's begun the uploads of her bronzes (having completed the AR's a while back). I drool every time I visit her gallery: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/index.php?cat=24483

She says her Elymaeans will be coming soon...

 

Thanks for the link Bob L., I hadn't seen that site before. After seeing that collection, I have decided to abandon all coin collecting, as there is no way I can compete with that .

I keep my Parthian collection organized primarily by Sellwood number, with names assigned mainly by Shore's attributions. This means that I have four very different obverse bust styles all attributed to Phraates III, which seems kind of unlikely, but that includes my favorite Parthian obverse so I'm not complaining:


Something about this portrait style, with the waves of long hair and the long beard, reminds me of the much earlier designs of Babylonian and Assyrian kings who ruled in roughly the same region.

 

Stunning coin, Parthicus...and a rare mint (Artemita). Wow!

 

What an educational thread.

Here's a similar thread from last year. Always good to review this little-known part of ancient history. I wrote a very simplistic introduction to the Elymais Kingdom a year ago:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-elymais-coins-confuse-me.227621/page-2

Good stuff.

guy