My New Ancient Parthian

Parthian King Orodes II, 55-38 BC. AR Drachm

I had to have one of these! A respected member of this forum and I were discussing the Coins of the Wise Men. The question of the possibility of one or all of the Wise Men being Parthians was raised. That's all it took!

This is the dealer's image

 

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That's a very attractive example!!!

I managed to pick up two types through FAC (FORVM) auctions early last year; Orodes III, 90-10 AD and Shapur III, 383-388 AD---of course the latter well past your time period of interest:

 

That's a very nice drachm of Orodes II. Looks like Sellwood type 43.1. Mintmark is Ecbatana (a very ancient city, visited by Alexander the Great and still in existence as Hamadan, Iran). Of course, if the possible connection to the Wise Men interests you, you'll want a coin minted closer to the time of Jesus's birth by Phraates IV. And if you have Phraates IV, surely you can't ignore his son and assassin, Phraataces, or the incredible story of Phraataces and his wife/mother Musa. And from there...

 

Thank you, Parthicus! To demonstrate how much I respect your opinion, I've taken your advice and purchased a second Parthian coin.

Phraates IV AR Drachm, 38 - 2 B.C.E.

 

As mentioned in that other thread, you did well getting the Phraates IV and might want a Phraataces if for no other reason than he was the Parthian king 2 BC-4AD. Of course if you agree that Jesus' birth was more likely 6 BC, the Phraates IV is the correct coin.

In few words, Sellwood, The Coinage of Parthia page 182 sums up the Musa story well including the very Sellwood line: "...and then, as was the Magian custom contracted an incestuous marriage, a union greeted with typically arrogant incomprehension by western writers."

I showed my nicer Phraates IV from Mithradatkart with that earlier thread so here I'l just offer the recent addition from the more common Ecbatana mint.

Yours is Rhagae mint (one of the mints I lack for him) and a very nice coin IMHO.

 

Well done @Deacon Ray ! Looks like you are bitten and smitten getting ancients too. Not in my wheelhouse, but I have a couple Parthians that I have captured of the past couple years...


Parthia Mithradates 1 177-138BCE AR Drachm - Obv-Rev.jpg


Parthia Mithradates III 58-55 BCE AR Drachm 3-9g 20mm Rhagae mint star archer bashlyk throne bow Selwood 41-12 O-R.JPG

 

Way cool scores @Deacon Ray ...now keep 'm out of plastic!



Just kidding!

 

Yay, the man caved. Finally a coin that's not actually Biblical, even though it technically is loosely Biblical-ish. Now all you have to tell yourself is that Roman coins have a connection to Jesus as he would have handled many provincial and Imperial coins during his years as a carpenter, so all Roman coins from around 20BCE to 475AD should be fair game, after all, they are Roman Imperial coinage and Imperial Rome is linked to the Bible, so that makes them technically Biblical-ish.

And we can't discount the possibility some coins from the Republican era might have come into his hands too, as Roman coins sometimes circulated for 100+ years, so you got to get yourself some Roman Republic coins too just to be on the safe side.

You see what I did there? Sooner or later I knew we'd get you infected with the full blown ancient coins sickness.

Oh yeah, here are some Parthians.


Mithradates III



Vologases III

 

Thanks, Jwt708! I'll try keeping them out of the plastic for a while. I'm so accustomed to boxing them up and mailing them to NGC, I'm liable to do it in an unconscious state while sleepwalking. I'll also have to change my motto which is: Slab em' and box em'

 

Haha...no!

 

You might want to investigate the snap shut plastic boxes that are the same size as slabs and would provide the same protection from hands of your interested parishioners. It is an option you have now that will be less appealing when you have a thousand coins.

I can't go so far as Sallent's definition, there are a lot of coins that can be associated with Bible or Christian interest subjects. You will never afford the commemorative showing Noah's Ark but a coin of Esther's husband is possible as is a huge array of coins from early Christian rulers. There are some rulers of pre Constantinian days rumored to have had Christian leanings if not fully, openly Christian. Some consider the AVG IN PACE type used by Salonina (wife of Gallienus) evidence of her faith.


You also need a coin of Aksum (Axum) whose king was first Christian ruler predating Constantine by a few years. This is the same place that today claims to have the original Arc of the Covenent in the inner sanctuary of a church only accessed by one special caretaker.


This can be a huge specialty area.

 

These Parthians are infectious! The designs are very bold and clean. I guess I'll have to hold off obtaining my Judaean Herod Antipas until next payday.

 

Yes! Infect the Deacon with related coin collecting themes!

 

Parthian are cool coins to collect whether bible related or not. Through time, I've accumulated (rather than actually collected) a few of them, three of them being tetradrachms


Orodes II, Tetradrachm
14.89 gr



Phraates IV, Tetradrachm
11.94 gr



Gotarzes II, Tetradrachm
12.20 gr

Please, forgive the bad pictures, I've never taken a chance to re-shoot them

Q

 

Sweet coins!

Another one to add to my bottomless wish list, thanks.

Erin

 

I always akin a bottomless wish list to a bottomless glass of lemonade on a hot summer day... you just keep on enjoying it, and never get full!

 

Very nice coins!

 

Nice Tets, Cuke! I only have Drachmae... yours are GREAT! Must be fun to hold that heft!

 

To the hard to afford group, I'd add the Salome coin:
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=300452

 

A Noah's Ark coin was in the Solidus 9 auction three days ago. Despite its condition, it hammered for 9,000 EUR. Guess I won't be buying one...


Phrygia. Apamea (Kibotos). Philip I the Arab (244-249 AD..). . Bronze

Vs: bust with laurel wreath, Paludament and tanks right.
Rs: Noah and his wife in the box-shaped ark with the (not visible here) labeled [ΝΩΗ] left standing, including wavy lines; right on top of the ark a raven sitting to the left; in the left half of Noah and his wife after leaving the ark with raised for Thanksgiving hands left standing, it dove with olive branch in its talons to the right fly.

BMC 182. SNG von Aulock 3510. Hendin, Biblical Coins, S. 295 and Taf. 32, 922.
Rough surface, nearly very fine / very nice.
very rare.

18.55 g
33 mm