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Drachm - Gotarzes II Ecbatana
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
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| Year | 40-51 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Diademed bust of Gotarzes II facing left, rendered in the Parthian court style with a long, rectangular beard. The diadem is tied with a loop at the top and three flowing ends; a distinctive royal wart (naevus) is visible on the forehead. A round earring is discernible at the ear. The portrait exhibits the characteristic broad, stylized facial features of later Arsacid coinage, with the bust terminating at the shoulder. |
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| Reverse description | Beardless archer-king, representing the Arsacid dynastic type, seated right on a square throne with legs visible. The figure holds a bow in the right hand at arm's length in the traditional Parthian manner. A mint monogram appears below the bow in the lower field. The surrounding Greek legend, reading from the left side outside inward, proclaims the royal titulature of the Arsacid king: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ / ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ / ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ / ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ, meaning 'King of Kings, Arsaces, Benefactor, Just, Manifest, Philhellene.' |
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Gotarzes II secured his throne through a prolonged civil war against the Roman-backed pretender Meherdates, whose defeat near the Tigris in 49 AD was decisive enough that Roman sources — Tacitus in particular — documented the campaign in some detail. Ecbatana, the old Median capital serving as a Parthian summer residence, continued striking under him throughout the conflict.
Sellwood 65.33 falls within a series known for increasingly debased fabric and deteriorating die work, a trend that accelerates sharply in the issues immediately following this type.