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Drachm - Phraates III
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 62 BC - 58 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Drachm (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The archer-king Arsaces I depicted seated right upon an omphalos throne, holding a strung bow in his extended right hand, a standard Arsacid dynastic type. A multi-line Greek legend surrounds the central device, occupying the upper and lower fields of the flan. A control monogram appears in the field below the bow. The composition follows the long-established Parthian reverse tradition, with the inscription identifying the king by his royal titulature. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ |
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| Additional information |
Phraates III reclaimed the Parthian throne with Roman and Seleucid backing — both Lucullus and Tigranes the Great had courted him simultaneously during the Third Mithridatic War, each hoping to neutralize him as a threat. He played them against each other with considerable skill. Pompey eventually formalized relations with him around 66 BC, though the two powers quickly fell into dispute over the Euphrates boundary.
Sellwood 39.6 belongs to the later phase of his coinage, distinguished by specific diadem and beard treatments that allow fairly precise chronological placement within the reign.