Drachm - Orodes II Kingdom of Elymais Arsacid Dynasty

Elymais occupied the mountainous region northeast of Susa — ancient Susiana — and maintained a stubborn semi-independence under Arsacid client kings long after the Parthian empire had absorbed most of its neighbors. By the time Orodes II issued coinage, the kingdom's drachms had degraded so far from their Seleucid silver ancestry that billon was the honest description: these are essentially base-metal pieces with a silver wash, reflecting a local economy running on reputation more than bullion.

The GICV sequence for late Elymais is notoriously difficult to pin to specific rulers, and attributions to Orodes II in this period remain contested among specialists.