Bought myself a few bits that I knew very little about LOL but enjoyed finding out what I could Need some help with the last 2 coins that I will show Orodes II c AD 100? AE Drachm 3.34g 14mm Facing head-anchor-one bar-crescent & star Aramaic legend around Belos "Orodes son of Orodes" Phraates c AD 150? AE Drachm 2.63g, 15mm - SGI 5902 Bust left-anchor-crescent & star Reverse of dashes Kamnaskires-Orodes III c AD 180? AE Drachm 2.93g 16x14mm Facing head-anchor-crescent & star Reverse of dashes Orodes IV c AD 190? AE Drachm 2.93g 14mm Facing bust of king Bust of Queen Ulfan or Artemis-Tyche Orodes IV c AD 190? AE Drachm 2.44g 14mm Facing bust of king Bust of Queen Ulfan or Artemis-Tyche-anchor-one bar Now the 2 I am unsure about Kamnaskires not sure which one 3.55g 15mm AE Drachm Sideways bust with flat crown-anchor-crescent & star Reverse possible remains of a Greek inscription Orodes? Not sure if this is right AE Drachm 1.96g 13x11mm Sideways bust with a crest on his crown Goddess Artemis with her hair tied back in a bun
The historical record of Elymais, which spent most of existence as a small kingdom within the Parthian empire, is spotty at best, and attributing the coins is troublesome. We don't even know for sure if many of the coins refer to actual Elymais kings or the Parthian rulers of the day since some of the names may have been the same. Different authors have offered up different rulers to go with the same coins and it all depends on whose school of thought you follow. Parthia.com has a separate page, linked here, about the coins of Elymais and is one of the best resources for attribution. Be prepared for minor disappointments when you find coins listed under headings like "First Indeterminate King." It's an honest category, as factually accurate as possible, but it hardly brings history to life. This is a common pitfall when collecting the coins of the ancient Persians, who weren't big on keeping written records like their Roman rivals. Parthia itself has various indeterminate kings, but Elymais in particular is full of historical question marks.
