Drachm - Orodes II - Kingdom of Elymais Arsacid Dynasty

Elymais was a semi-independent kingdom tucked into the mountainous southwestern reaches of the Iranian plateau, nominally vassal to Parthia but functionally autonomous through much of its history. The Arsacid rulers of Elymais — a separate dynastic line from the Parthian Arsacids, though they adopted the name for legitimacy — issued their own coinage in increasingly debased silver as Parthian oversight fluctuated. By the late first century, billon had largely replaced good silver in local issues, reflecting either depleted treasury resources or simply the economic isolation of a highland kingdom with limited trade access to silver supplies.

The "var." designation against GICV 5895 signals a die variant not fully catalogued — not unusual for Elymaean issues, where small-workshop production created considerable inconsistency across the series.