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Drachm - Vologases IV
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 147-191 |
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| Currency | Drachm (247 BC-224 AD) |
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| Obverse description | Bearded bust of Vologases IV facing left, wearing a distinctive Parthian tiara adorned with a row of pellets along the diadem and decorated with a hook-shaped ear ornament trailing behind. The king's hair is rendered in stylized ribbed locks falling to the shoulder, and a short beard with rows of fine linear striations frames the chin and jaw. The bust is draped in a garment with ribbed folds, consistent with late Arsacid royal portraiture. The entire design is enclosed within a border of fine beads. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ |
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| Additional information |
Vologases IV ruled for over four decades, making his reign one of the longest in Parthian history — yet it was defined almost entirely by external pressure. Rome sacked Seleucia and Ctesiphon in 165 AD under Lucius Verus, a humiliation from which the empire never fully recovered administratively. The returning Roman troops carried plague west with them, but the disruption to Parthian mint output is visible in the coinage: fabric quality and silver fineness deteriorate noticeably across the reign.
Sellwood 84.130 falls within the later emission sequence, struck after the Roman campaigns.