Nomos 17

KINGS OF PARTHIA. Mithradates I, 165-132 BC. Drachm (Silver, 17 mm, 4.01 g, 1 h), Seleukeia-on-the-Tigris, c. 141-139. Diademed, bearded and draped bust of Mithradates to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ | ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ / ΑΡΣ-ΑΚΟΥ Zeus seated left on backless throne, holding eagle in his right hand and scepter in his left; in exergue, monogram of ΧΑΡ. Sellwood 13,6. Sunrise 263. Extremely rare. With a superb portrait in fully Hellenistic Greek style. Toned. About extremely fine.

Ex Tradart 13, 13 December 2001, 122 .

This coin is part of a small group of coins struck at what was originally the royal Seleukid mint of Seleukeia-on-the-Tigris. The city was captured by the Parthians in 141 and became their western capital; it subsequently expanded so much that, of all the cities in the West, only Rome, Alexandria and Antioch were larger. The bust on this coin is probably the finest, Greek style portrait ever to appear on a Parthian coin. The engraver was undoubtedly a Greek who had previously worked for the Seleukids, and when he was called on to cut dies for the Parthians he showed his new ruler in a completely hellenized way. While having a beard would have been unusual for a Greek ruler at this time, it was not unheard of, and any contemporary viewing this coin might think the ruler portrayed was a philosopher, rather than someone who had ridden out of the Iranian highlands. While some of Mithradates' immediate successors also had Greek-style portraits, most were shown in a completely foreign, oriental manner, highly reminiscent of the heads of the Babylonian and Persian kings that came before.