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Tetradrachm - Vadfradad I
| Issuer | Persis, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 146 BC - 138 BC |
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| Reference(s) | BMC Greek#1 (Arabia), Alram#533 |
| Obverse description | Diademed bust of Vadfradad I facing right, wearing a kyrbasia (the distinctively shaped Persian satrapal headdress) adorned with a diadem tied at the nape. The portrait is rendered in a bold, high-relief Hellenistic style characteristic of Persis coinage, with clearly articulated facial features including a prominent nose, defined chin, and short beard. Flowing ribbons of the diadem fall behind the neck. The truncation of the bust is visible at the lower edge of the flan, which is characteristically irregular in form. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A fire temple depicted in frontal architectural elevation occupies the centre of the reverse field, with flames rising from the altar. The winged figure of Ahura-Mazda hovers above the temple in the upper field, symbolising divine royal glory (khvarenah). To the left of the temple, the figure of Vadfradad I stands facing right in a posture of devotion or offering. An Aramaic inscription runs around the design, naming the ruler and his title. The composition follows the established iconographic tradition of the Frataraka dynasts of Persis. |
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| Additional information |
Vadfradad I (rendered in Greek sources as Autophradates) was among the earliest rulers of the Frataraka dynasty to assert genuine monarchical ambition in Persis, the heartland province of the old Achaemenid empire. His coinage was struck during a window when Seleucid authority over the eastern satrapies was collapsing under Parthian pressure — Mithridates I took Media around 148 BC and Mesopotamia by 141 BC, leaving regional dynasts considerable room to maneuver. Vadfradad exploited that vacuum.
The Alram 533 attribution places this piece within a tightly defined emission. Persis tetradrachms of this period are rare in any condition; the provincial mint operated at modest volume compared to the great Seleucid workshops at Antioch or Seleucia-on-the-Tigris.