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Drachm - Artabanus I
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 126 BC - 122 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Reverse description | The dynastic ancestor Arsakes I depicted as a seated archer, shown in three-quarter view facing right, enthroned upon an omphalos; he wears Parthian dress and holds a strung bow in his right hand. The figure is surrounded on both sides by a multi-line Greek legend. The composition follows the canonical Arsacid reverse type, emphasizing dynastic legitimacy through the archer motif. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ |
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| Additional information |
Artabanus I came to power following the death of Phraates II, who was killed fighting the Saka invaders he had foolishly armed as auxiliaries against the Seleucids. Artabanus inherited both the throne and the ongoing nomadic crisis, dying in battle against the Tokharians around 122 BC — making his reign short enough that his coinage circulated in a genuinely compressed window. Sellwood 20.1 is the foundational type for this reign, and examples appear with some frequency in hoards from the eastern satrapies, consistent with his campaigns in that direction.