So...weather here in Ohio is looking pretty bad....snowed in for the evening, so i thought i'd show off my new drachm of Artabanus III. Artabanus III reigned twice, once from A.D 10-35 then from 36-38 A.D. Artabanus feuded with Vanones I frequently, and refused to acknowledge his kingship (as Vanones was somewhat of a puppet monarch put on the throne by Rome). Artabanus was in turn, murdered by a man believed to be his son, Gotarzes II (who ruled intermittantly, and was considered a usurper). However, in the aftermath of Artabanus's assassination, he was succeded by his son, Vardanes I, who would continue the feud with Gotarzes. The present coin attracted me because of the clear portraiture and strike. It also has some nice toning going on, which i like! In spite of the bit of raggedness of the around the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions, it is an attractive coin. If anyone has any new Parthians or relevant coins, please share! Artabanus III AR drachm. 3.84 gm. O. diademed bust of king w 3 ribbons. R. seated archer (Arsaces I) holding bow. Ecbatana mint, c.a 10-38 A.D. Sellwood 63.6 ex. Pegasi Numismatics
Nice! Here's an example of the same type (63.6) but with a nice double-strike on the reverse: And of course my facing portrait tetradrachm of ol' Artie:
I do not have any Parthian coins, but i really like the ones you guys posted. We are getting some snow too, but very little 5cm. The Parhians sure were a thorn in the butt for Roman eastern expansion.
Pretty icy here in Illinois as well! Nice lookin' Parthian! I don't have any of that ruler, but I have this coin of the same style (with Parthian coins I go after bust styles instead of rulers, this is my "angular dude with a headband and beard" coin). Parthian Empire, Vologases III, Drachm, 105-147 AD. O: Bust with diadem to l. R: Archer seated to r. holding bow. Monogram A below, Ecbatana mint, 3.9 g, 20 mm, Sellwood 78.3
I have a Vologases III as well...but i will show him in the future....probably my favorite Parthian so far...the cabinet tone on my example is deep and sets off the devices well. With that said, very choice, attractive Vologases you have there!! Strike is awesome!
Vonones spent his youth in Rome as a royal hostage for the good behavior of his father Phraates IV so was unskilled in Parthian ways and was unacceptable to old school Parthians like Artabanus. Vonones' coins were even strange by Parthian standards because he put his name on both sides. The reverse reads King Vonones, defeater of Artabanus. This claim turned out to be what today is termed 'Fake News' and Vonones was removed from the scene by Augustus who wanted peace in Parthia.
I like Parthian coins, but I don't have too many of them. Still looking for a few tetradrachms, but I managed to loose focus onto Byzantine coins lately... Parthian Empire: Phraates III (ca. 70-57 BCE) AR Drachm, Mithradatkart Mint (Sellwood-39.6; Sunrise-343) Obv: Long bearded bust left in diadem bound tiara, decorated with a horn on side and a row of recumbent stags around the crest, pellet ended spiral torque, dotted border. Rev: Archer enthroned right, monogram below bow, six-line Greek inscription ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟY ΑΡΣΑΚΟY ΕYΕΡΓΕΤΟY ΕΠIΦΑNOYΣ ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ
Thanks. One of my prized possessions as it came from the Money Museum when they sold some of their assets to fund their expansion a while ago. Picked up several awesome coins (and lost several of them in the auction). You can find my coin here: https://www.moneymuseum.com/en/coins?&id=2233
