Elymais drachm with "barley ear" reverse

Elymais. AE drachm. Phraates (c. early-mid 2nd century CE). Obverse: Bearded bust of king left, wearing diadem and tiara with star-and-crescent design, star-and-crescent and anchor with single crossbar behind, pellet border. Reverse: Pattern of dashes arranged in parallel rows resembling barley ears. van't Haaff 14.7.2-2B. This coin: Frank S. Robinson Auction 128, lot 39 (July 12, 2025).

(note: historical section contains reused text)

Elymais was a Parthian vassal state, located between the east bank of the Tigris and the Zagros Mountains, roughly where the province of Khuzestan is in modern Iran. While the region was inhabited from very early times (Biblical scholars will be familiar with Elam), the state of Elymais we are considering dates only to the later part of the Seleukid Empire, in the 2nd century BCE. After a period of shifting Seleukid, Parthian, and local control, the region was for a time ruled by the Kamnaskirid Dynasty as vassals of the Parthian Kingdom. In the mid-1st century BCE, the situation seems to shift, and the ruling dynasty is now a branch of the Parthian Arsakid dynasty, bearing typical Parthian names such as Orodes and Phraates. Unfortunately few details are known of Elymais history, and many of the later rulers are known only from their coins. The region finally lost its last autonomy about 228 CE, when the nascent Sasanian Persian kingdom conquered the area.

The coinage of Elymais during the Arsakid period consists of bronze drachms and tetradrachms; many of the drachms are found in large numbers and are available inexpensively. While there are a number of different reverse designs used, sometimes with legends in Aramaic (and very rarely Greek), the most common reverse type is a series of dashes. Most often the dashes are randomly arranged, but sometimes they are formed into regular patterns, as on this piece. The resemblance to barley ears is likely coincidental (there's no central stalk or other truly barley-like features), though the reason for this arrangement, if anything besides pure artistic expression, is unknown. Like most Elymais drachms, this coin was pleasantly cheap, at a final bid of just $26. (The green areas are solid patina and not bronze disease.) Please feel free to post your Elymais coins, or whatever else is related.

 

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