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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 7644938, member: 81887&quot;][ATTACH=full]1314481[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom, Mithradatkart mint.&nbsp; AE tetrachalkoi (17 mm).&nbsp; Orodes II (c.57-38 BC).&nbsp; Obverse: Diademed bust left.&nbsp; Reverse: Bactrian (two-humped) camel on ground, standard seven-line Greek legend around, Mithradatkart mintmark before.&nbsp; Sellwood type 45 (unlisted reverse type).&nbsp; This coin: Stephen Album Auction 39, lot 25 (January 21-25, 2021).</p><p><br /></p><p>Orodes II was a son of the Parthian king Phraates III (c.70-57 BC).&nbsp; In 57 BC, Orodes and his brother Mithradates (called Mithradates III in older references, now believed to be IV) conspired to kill their father and take over the throne.&nbsp; The two brothers seem to have shared power for a short while, but soon quarreled, and within a couple of years Orodes killed Mithradates to become sole ruler.&nbsp; Orodes had several fights with the Romans, most notably at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC where the Parthians wiped out a large Roman force led by the triumvir Crassus.&nbsp; In 38 BC, his favorite son Pakoros was killed in battle in Roman Syria, forcing the distraught Orodes to choose a new heir.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the son he chose, Phraates IV, was quite bloodthirsty and promptly killed his father and other brothers to consolidate his grasp on power.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse features a camel, which is not a very common animal on ancient coins despite their importance in the ancient Near East. For example, it is recorded that the Parthian mounted archers at the Battle of Carrhae were resupplied with spare arrows brought by camels.&nbsp; This reverse type is not listed in Sellwood&#039;s catalogue, but does not seem to be very rare; I&#039;ve seen a few other examples in the last few years.&nbsp; Please share your coins of Orodes II, or featuring camels (Bactrian or dromedary will both be accepted), or whatever else is related.</p><p><br /></p><p>(When I was writing this, autocorrect kept trying to turn &quot;Battle of Carrhae&quot; into &quot;Battle of Carrie.&quot;&nbsp; Well, they both had rather bloody endings.)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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