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Obol - Oxathres I King right of altar
| Issuer | Kingdom of Persis (Persian Empires) |
|---|---|
| Year | 50-100 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Bearded male effigy of Oxathres I in right-facing profile, wearing a satrapal or royal headdress adorned with a prominent brim and decorative crest. The bust is rendered with characteristic Persis artistic conventions, featuring a thick, elaborately styled beard rendered in fine curved striations. The drapery of the royal garment is visible at the base of the bust, and the portrait displays the bold, high-relief style typical of Persis coinage of this period. The field is plain and unlettered. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Aramaic |
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| Additional information |
Oxathres I ruled Persis as a vassal kingdom under Parthian suzerainty, one of a succession of dynasts who maintained the old Achaemenid religious and ceremonial traditions long after Alexander's conquest had nominally ended Persian royal continuity. The fire altar imagery on these tiny obols was a deliberate political and religious statement — Persis considered itself the heartland of Iranian civilization, and its rulers cultivated that identity precisely because it justified their semi-autonomous status within the Parthian system.
At 0.6 grams, these were the smallest denomination in regular circulation, and surviving examples in any condition above heavily worn are genuinely scarce. Alram 581 confirms the attribution but notes significant die variation across the series.