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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 3013098, member: 81887&quot;][ATTACH=full]747518[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom.&nbsp; AR drachm.&nbsp; Artabanos I (c.127-124 BC).&nbsp; Obverse: Diademed bust left.&nbsp; Reverse: Archer (Arsakes I) wearing traditional Parthian clothes, seated on omphalos and holding bow before; four-line Greek legend &quot;Basileos megalou Arsakou philadelphou&quot; (Of the Great King Arsakes, who loves his brother).&nbsp; Sellwood 20.1, Shore 59.&nbsp; This coin: Frank S. Robinson Auction 103, lot 89.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Note: Artabanos I is one of the Parthian kings who&#039;s recently been renumbered, and is now known as either Artie II or even Artie III.&nbsp; Like all collectors of Parthian coins, I await a definitive new edition of Sellwood that includes all the new attributions.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Artabanos I appears to have been a brother of the very successful Parthian king Mithradates I (c.171-138 BC).&nbsp; Under Mithradates I, the Parthians vastly expanded their territory, at the expense of Bactrians in the east and Seleukids in the west.&nbsp; Mithradates&#039; 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.&nbsp; However, around 127 BC Phraates was killed in battle against the Sakas, and (after a very brief reign by Bagasis) Phraates&#039; uncle Artabanos took the throne.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Artabanos&#039; son Mithradates II would go on to reclaim glory for the Parthians... but that&#039;s a story for another time (and another coin).</p><p><br /></p><p>There are several features of the design worth noting.&nbsp; The legend includes &quot;loving his brother&quot;, a clear attempt by Artabanos to associate himself with the successful and powerful Mithradates I.&nbsp; The king is clearly shown seated, not on a throne, but on an omphalos (a sacred stone symbolic of the navel of the world).&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; If anyone can convincingly explain the appearance and disappearance of the omphalos, I&#039;d be very interested to hear it.&nbsp; Finally, the portrait is of a very appealing style; I especially like the effect of layering in the hair.&nbsp; Fred Shore writes, &quot;Coins of Artabanos I are considered stylistically among the best examples of early Parthian coinage; however, high grade examples are particularly difficult to locate.&quot;&nbsp; This might not qualify as &quot;high-grade&quot;, but it is nonetheless a pleasant example of this fairly scarce ruler.&nbsp; Post your Artabanos I, or any related coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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