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Drachm - Mithridates II
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 96 BC - 93 BC |
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| Value | Drachm (1) |
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| Obverse description | Bust of Mithridates II facing left, depicted with a long, carefully rendered beard and wearing an elaborate tiara decorated with multiple rows of pearls and a central star or rosette motif. The king's hair falls in long, beaded locks behind the neck, and his drapery is richly detailed with further rows of beading along the shoulder. The portrait is executed in a bold, high-relief Hellenistic style characteristic of the mature Parthian royal coinage. A small control mark appears below the bust in the lower field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Mithridates II ruled the Parthian Empire at its peak territorial extent, having reclaimed Mesopotamia from the Seleucids and received submission from eastern dynasts including those of Bactria and parts of India. It was during his reign that Rome and Parthia made formal diplomatic contact for the first time — a meeting on the Euphrates around 96 BC between Sulla and the Parthian envoy Orobazus, an event significant enough that the Parthians later executed Orobazus for allowing a Roman to sit as his equal.
Sellwood 28.3 belongs to a later emission of his reign, distinguished by diadem style and reverse die execution from the earlier Sellwood 26–27 groups.