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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2749198, member: 81887&quot;]Here&#039;s my latest addition to the Parthicus Collection Mark II:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]629249[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom.&nbsp; AE tetrachalkon (17mm, 3.91g).&nbsp; Phraates III (70-57 BC).&nbsp; Obverse: Facing bust of king, wearing diadem and necklace with central pendant.&nbsp; Reverse: Horse facing right, 7-line Greek legend.&nbsp; Sellwood 35.15, Shore 167.&nbsp; CNG eAuction 397, lot 248; ex Nisa Collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>Phraates III succeeded to the Parthian throne about 70 BC.&nbsp; At the time, both Tigranes the Great of Armenia and Mithradates VI of Pontus were fighting Roman expansion in the East.&nbsp; Phraates initially stayed out of the conflict, but in 65 BC he temporarily allied with Pompey the Great to support Tigranes the Younger&#039;s attempt to take the Armenian throne.&nbsp; However, Pompey decided to acknowledge Tigranes the Great and took the younger Tigranes prisoner.&nbsp;&nbsp; Pompey also captured some Parthian vassal lands (Gordyene and Osroene), which Phraates did not have the strength to contest.&nbsp; Little else is known about Phraates&#039; reign, as it didn&#039;t include enough Romans for later historians to care about.&nbsp; In 57 BC, Phraates was murdered by his two sons, Mithradates III and Orodes II.</p><p><br /></p><p>Phraates III used several distinct bust types on his coinage, of which my favorite is this facing bust of Sellwood type 35.&nbsp; Used on both silver drachms and various bronze denominations (but sadly not on tetradrachms), it shows a very artistic and expressive portrait in the unusual frontal view.&nbsp; The reverse shows a horse, a very typical reverse type on Parthian bronzes and fitting for these horse-mounted archers.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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