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Chalkous - Phraates II Ecbatana
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 132 BC - 127 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Chalkon (1⁄48) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An elephant advancing to the right, rendered in naturalistic style with trunk lowered and tail raised, occupying the central field of the flan. A four-line Greek royal legend surrounds the figure, distributed around the periphery of the coin. The type reflects the Seleucid iconographic tradition of the elephant as a symbol of royal power, here adapted by the Arsacid dynasty to assert dynastic legitimacy and divine descent. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Phraates II inherited the Parthian throne from his father Mithradates I and almost immediately faced catastrophic pressure from the Seleucid king Antiochus VII Sidetes, who invaded Mesopotamia and temporarily recaptured much of it around 130 BC. The Parthian response was methodical — exhausting Seleucid supply lines through winter quarters — and Antiochus was killed in 129 BC, ending the last serious Seleucid attempt to recover the east.
Phraates II himself died in 127 BC fighting Saka nomads, the very steppe mercenaries he had recruited to help defeat Antiochus. Ecbatana, the old Median capital, served as a key Parthian administrative mint throughout this turbulent stretch.