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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 4803211, member: 81887&quot;]Another coin from Pars Auction 7:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1166509[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom.&nbsp; Rhagae mint.&nbsp; AE dichalkoi (3.06 g, 15 mm).&nbsp; Orodes I (80-75 BC).&nbsp; Obverse: Bust left, wearing tiara with fleur-de-lis on side and &quot;pearls-on-stalk&quot; decorations along edges, anchor behind head.&nbsp; Reverse: Horse galloping right, Greek inscription around.&nbsp; Sellwood 34.9.&nbsp; This coin: Pars Coins Auction 7, lot 107 (July 14, 2020).</p><p><br /></p><p>The period from the death of Mithradates II to the accession of Orodes II (c.91- 57 BC) is sometimes called the Parthian Dark Ages.&nbsp; During this period, there seems to have been an extended struggle for the throne, with multiple claimants issuing coinage and few surviving written records to clarify the political situation.&nbsp; Orodes I seems to have been the son of Gotarzes I (c.91-87 BC) and Aryazate, daughter of Tigranes I of Armenia.&nbsp; Orodes had a brother, Mithradates III (87-80 BC), who was accused of excessive cruelty and deposed by Orodes.&nbsp; Orodes marched into Elymais in 77 BC and expelled his vassal Kamnaskires III.&nbsp; Almost nothing else is known about his reign, except that he was married to his sister Ispubarza.&nbsp; His reign seems to have ended in 75 BC for unknown reasons.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin type, and drachms with the same obverse design, were formerly assigned to the usurper Sinatrukes, but Assar argues for their issuance by Orodes.&nbsp; The anchor was a traditional symbol for Elymais, and so this issue may commemorate his action against Kamnaskires in 77 BC.&nbsp; There are examples of the drachm type on which the anchor and the &quot;pearls&quot; on the tiara are erased from the die; these may have been struck by a competing ruler who captured Orodes&#039; mint facilities.&nbsp; This is a fairly nice example of Parthian bronze, and a scarce type that may be commemorating historical events.&nbsp; All in all, not bad for $55.&nbsp; Please feel free to post any related coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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