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Drachm
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 190 BC - 135 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | The king, identified as Arsaces (Mithradates I), is depicted seated in three-quarter view to the right on an omphalos throne, wearing a bashlyk helmet and Parthian dress, holding a bow in his extended right hand — the emblematic pose of the Arsacid archer type. The surrounding Greek legend encircles the design reading ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ, meaning 'of the Great King Arsaces.' The composition follows the standard reverse type established for Sellwood type 10, with the archer enthroned motif serving as a dynastic emblem of Parthian royal authority. The strike is slightly irregular, consistent with hand-hammered production on an uneven flan. The relief is moderate, with legible lettering distributed around the seated figure. |
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| Mintage | ND (190 BC - 135 BC) |
| Additional information |
Mithradates I transformed the Parthian state from a minor breakaway satrapy into a territorial empire rivaling Rome, seizing Media and then Babylonia from the Seleucids between roughly 148 and 141 BC. The coinage shifts across his reign to reflect this — early issues imitating Seleucid conventions, later ones asserting a distinctly Arsacid identity as the mint network expanded westward into freshly conquered territory.
Sellwood 10.1 falls within the transitional phase of that expansion. The fabric tends toward broad and thin, a Seleucid inheritance the Parthian mints never fully abandoned.