Parthian Tyche: Question for experts

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Bart9349, May 25, 2010.

  1. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    This is a question I'll ask our Ancient experts here first:

    Any insight into why the Parthians sometimes portrayed Tyche, the traditional Greek deity of luck and good fortune, on the reverse of some of their coins (instead of the more common seated archer)?

    I know they were influenced by the Greeks. (Their coins have illegible Greek writing, for example.) What would the reason be for the Greek deity unless they "adopted" the Greek pantheon of gods?
     

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  3. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Tyche only appears on the tetradrachms which I believe were issued as trade coins and used only in a few cities in the Empire where a number of people were not Parthian but Greek. The drachms with seated archer were more general issues. The two did not circulate together as a general rule.

    Anyone disagree?
     
  4. Ardatirion

    Ardatirion Où est mon poisson

    Spot on. Specifically, these were struck at Seleukia ad Tigrim, a predominantly Greek city.
     
  5. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    Thank you both for your very thoughtful replies. :thumb:

    I defer to Doug's opinion on this matter since he has thought and written about Parthian coins since last century.

    I will add two other possiblities.

    First, the Parthian Empire supplanted the Seleucid Empire in that region. The Hellenization or transmission of Greek culture (language, culture, religion, etc.) in that region by both the Ptolemeic and Seleucid Empires is frequently underappreciated. (Most people are surprised to learn that the New Testament was written in Greek, for example, and not Hebrew or Aramaic.)

    It is not surprising that coins would reflect this background of Hellenized culture. Parthian coins show increasingly illegible Greek writing, for example. Roman coins minted in Alexandria, Egypt have Greek legends and frequently show Greek deities on the reverese.

    It would not be surprising that Parthian coins would incorporate Tyche, the Greek deity, into their pantheon of gods.

    A second possibility is the fundamental structure of the Parthian Empire. Unlike the later Sassanian Empire, the Parthian Empire was decentralized. In fact, it also consisted of several semi-autonomous kingdom states. I've read that these kingdoms minted currency somewhat different from the coinage of the main Imperial mints.

    These other coins would reflect the underlying regional cultures, which in many cases was an Hellenized one. (Below is a picture of Tyche seen on the above coin).

    Thank you again for your thought provoking responses.
     

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