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Tetradrachm - Oborzos Sacrifice reverse
| Issuer | Persis, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 191 BC |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Reverse description | The king, identified as Oborzos (Wahbarz), stands in right profile wearing the kidaris (royal tiara) and kandys (the sleeved court robe of Achaemenid royal tradition). He is depicted in a sacrificial or triumphal pose, raising his right hand to strike a captive Greek warrior (katoikoi) who kneels or lies subdued before him; the captive bears a round shield in his left hand. An Aramaic inscription occupies the field, providing the royal legend. The composition conveys dynastic authority and military dominance in a style blending Iranian iconographic convention with local Persid artistic traditions. |
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| Reverse lettering | (Translation: Wahbarz was/may be victorious, (he) who (is) the commander [the karanos (κἀρανος)]) |
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Oborzos — rendered in some sources as Vahbarz — ruled Persis as a frataraka, a title denoting a subordinate governor-king operating under Seleucid overlordship during the fractured decades following the death of Antiochus III's consolidating campaigns. The sacrifice reverse type on this issue is striking precisely because it asserts a distinctly Iranian priestly and dynastic identity at a moment when Seleucid authority in the eastern satrapies was under sustained pressure from both Rome in the west and the rising Parthians from the northeast.
Haaff's die study of Persis coinage remains the foundational reference for this series, and the 532Aab classification places this piece within a tightly defined obverse die grouping.