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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bob L., post: 2542160, member: 56976&quot;]Very nice Phraataces tet, Deacon Ray.&nbsp; I’ll add a few coins related to the direction the conversation has taken.&nbsp; First a couple of my own Phraataces tets:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]544902[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]544903[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>And one of my Vonones I tets below.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prior to claiming the Parthian throne, Vonones, who was a brother of Phraataces, had been captive in Rome as part of a treaty the Romans made with their father Phraates IV. Around 6 AD Augustus sent Vonones to Parthia to be king. Things did not go well: “...the refined, or effeminate, habits that he had acquired in Rome soon disgusted his subjects (and) he showed a marked distaste for such typically Parthian occupations as hunting and riding.” (Wroth) He ended up battling against another member of the Arsacid clan, Artabanus II, for the rulership. Eventually Artabanus won out and had Vonones murdered.</p><p><br /></p><p>But while he was claimant to the throne, Vonones issued coins that had his name spelled out in Greek (it was very atypical for Parthian rulers to do this), along with the legend translating as “conqueror of Artabanus” – commemorating a temporary victory over his rival.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many of Vonones’ tetradrachms are overstruck on the tets that his brother Phraataces struck with his mother/wifeMusa. While this may have been done for expediency given how quickly Vonones became immersed in the political power struggle with Artabanus, it seems to me that overstriking coins of his father’s murderers may have brought some sense of satisfaction.&nbsp; Often you can tell, while looking at a Vonones tet, that it has been overstruck upon another issue of some sort – but the Phraataces/Musa undertype is unclear.&nbsp; On occasion, though, you can see a remnant of the undertype a bit more clearly.&nbsp; On this example, Phraataces’ profile is visible on the reverse.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]544904[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]544905[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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