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Drachm - Arsaces XVI Susa
| Issuer | Parthian Empire (Parthian Empire (247 BC - 224 AD)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 78 BC - 62 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | The enthroned archer motif appears at centre, depicting Arsaces I seated right on an omphalos throne, holding a bow in his right hand — the iconic reverse type of Parthian drachms. The design is enclosed within a square dotted border, with the Greek royal legend arranged in multiple lines within and around the square frame. The composition reflects the standard Parthian reverse convention established from early in the dynasty. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Arsaces XVI — better known as Mithridates III — ruled during a period of acute dynastic instability, his reign bookended by the competing claims of Orodes I and eventually terminated by fratricidal violence. The Susa mint was among the more active eastern production centers under the later Arsacids, though output was subordinate to Ecbatana and Rhagae in volume. Sellwood 30.19 places this piece within a tightly defined die sequence, useful for situating it within the contested chronology that scholars have debated since Debevoise's foundational 1938 reconstruction of Parthian political history.