Parthian Kingdom. AR drachm. Artabanos I (c.127-124 BC). Obverse: Diademed bust left. Reverse: Archer (Arsakes I) wearing traditional Parthian clothes, seated on omphalos and holding bow before; four-line Greek legend "Basileos megalou Arsakou philadelphou" (Of the Great King Arsakes, who loves his brother). Sellwood 20.1, Shore 59. This coin: Frank S. Robinson Auction 103, lot 89. (Note: Artabanos I is one of the Parthian kings who's recently been renumbered, and is now known as either Artie II or even Artie III. Like all collectors of Parthian coins, I await a definitive new edition of Sellwood that includes all the new attributions.) Artabanos I appears to have been a brother of the very successful Parthian king Mithradates I (c.171-138 BC). Under Mithradates I, the Parthians vastly expanded their territory, at the expense of Bactrians in the east and Seleukids in the west. Mithradates' son Phraates II also had success against the Seleukids, releasing the captive Demetrios II to raise a rebellion against Antiochos VII Sidetes, thus dividing and weakening the declining Seleucid Empire. However, around 127 BC Phraates was killed in battle against the Sakas, and (after a very brief reign by Bagasis) Phraates' uncle Artabanos took the throne. Unfortunately, Artabanos did not have the same success as his brother, losing the wealthy territory of Babylonia to Characene and being killed in battle against either the Sakas or the Yueh-chi (ancestors of the Kushans) around 124 BC. Artabanos' son Mithradates II would go on to reclaim glory for the Parthians... but that's a story for another time (and another coin). There are several features of the design worth noting. The legend includes "loving his brother", a clear attempt by Artabanos to associate himself with the successful and powerful Mithradates I. The king is clearly shown seated, not on a throne, but on an omphalos (a sacred stone symbolic of the navel of the world). The earliest Parthian coins showed the king on an ordinary throne, then the omphalos first appears on coins now attributed to Phriapatius (c.185 BC), and Mithradates II switches back to a throne partway through his reign. If anyone can convincingly explain the appearance and disappearance of the omphalos, I'd be very interested to hear it. Finally, the portrait is of a very appealing style; I especially like the effect of layering in the hair. Fred Shore writes, "Coins of Artabanos I are considered stylistically among the best examples of early Parthian coinage; however, high grade examples are particularly difficult to locate." This might not qualify as "high-grade", but it is nonetheless a pleasant example of this fairly scarce ruler. Post your Artabanos I, or any related coins.
Not being an expert in the intricacies of the socio-political changes of that part of the world during those tumultuous centuries I could only hazard a possibility. It could be as simple as the Parthian dynasty attempting some religious syncretism by placing their line on the omphalos of the Greek Apollo. This while they had a big part of the Greek Seleucid empire in their borders. As the borders changed again they may have gone back to assert their roots in the Achaemenid Empire of their Persian ancestors and the throne reappears. It could also have a bit more complex explanation aligning with the change in astronomical knowledge since the precessional wobble of the Earth was going mainstream. The axis mundi being in control of Mithra as the mover of the skies and the astrological shift of ages- incorporating themselves as initiates in the cave received mysteries of this knowledge when it was good to do so.
I agree it would be great to have a new work that explains the 'why' behind all the new attributions but I hope they have the taste to publish it under the name of its author. David Sellwood passed away on 7 April 2012. What I hope NOT to see is a book listing new attributions but not discussing/defending the changes made from the previous systems. What did we previously call Artabanos I and II if this guy is now Artabanos III? What led to the new chronology? Are there coins? I don't have an Artabanos I (unless the reattributions gave me one that formerly was something else) so here is his son Mithradates II (unless the new ideas have changed that). I have not kept up. I have Sellwood and Shore. What is considered the latest word?
Wow! I want a Parthian that looks just like that! What a superb looking coin, with that great grey toning.
Beautiful coin, Parthicus. Imho, the Artabanus I (or whomever he may be) and the Bagasis coins are amongst the most stylistically hellenistic and beautiful of the series! Congrats on scoring a scarce and gorgeous coin! I hope to delve into getting some earlier Parthians very soon.
Nice pick-up, Parthicus. Hopefully Dr. Assar follows through on his stated intent to update Sellwood, although I wonder if he feels the in-progress SNP volumes may have stolen his thunder. Here are mine of "First (-ish)."
Well, if the new book uses and revises Sellwood's excellent typology, I think he should still be listed as co-author. Lots of textbooks continue to bear the names of original authors on revised editions well after their demise, as a mark of respect for their contribution and as an honest attribution of hard work. The revised work could be referred to as "Sellwood and X" instead of just "Sellwood Third Edition", but the only way I would want to see his name gone is if the work completely abandons his numbering system (which would be a mistake, in my opinion.) Of course, there is the new work of SNP (Sylloge Nummorum Parthicorum) of which only volume 7 (Vologases I-Pacorus II) has so far been published, but there is still a need for a good one-volume attribution guide like Sellwood's. The main force behind most of the new attributions is Dr. G.R.F. Assar, who has published his conclusions (and the logic behind them) in various articles, but so far no book. You can find downloadable PDFs of most of his articles here, if you want to spend the time to dig through them: http://parthian-empire.com/articleListPage.php My understanding (which could very well be wrong) is that Artabanos I is actually the personal name of the king formerly known only as Arsakes II. I'm not sure where a putative new Artabanos II comes from. I think your drachm (Sellwood 24 type) is still considered Mithradates II, but the tall tiara type (S. 29) may have changed. I understand that the published Sunrise collection book includes all the latest attributions (though not all of the reasoning behind them); I just ordered a copy from CNG (on sale for $125), and will be posting a full review in the near future.
I would agree this is the best answer. I do not like the idea of a new author putting forth his theories and claiming them to belong to the respected predecessor. The lack of "reasonings" and a few other things have made me avoid the Sunrise series of books. I will be interested in your review.
