Drachm - Artabanus I

Artabanus I seized the Parthian throne following the death of his brother Mithridates I, inheriting an empire that stretched from the Euphrates to eastern Iran but was already under pressure from Scythian incursions along its northeastern frontier. He spent most of his short reign fighting those nomadic groups rather than consolidating administrative control, and was killed in battle against them — likely the Tochari — around 122 BC. The brevity and turbulence of his rule kept mint output low, which Sellwood's die study reflects.