Drachm
Numismatists – the scholars who study coins – refer to the ‘front’ side of the coin, which usually features the head of a person or god, as the ‘obverse,’ and the ‘back’ side as the ‘reverse.’
On the obverse of this silver coin, a bust of the king faces to the left. He has a short beard rendered with vertical lines, and wears a domed hat (called a ‘tiara’) with a diadem (the headband worn by victorious athletes in ancient Greece) tied over it. The tiara is decorated with curls. He also wears a torque or necklace around his neck. A border of dots surrounds the image.
The reverse shows a seated man facing right. He wears sleeves and trousers under a cloak, as well as a diadem, of which only the ends are visible at the back of his head. In his hand he holds a bow with the bowstring upwards. A cross and horizontal line beneath him and a vertical line bisected four times seem to represent a high-backed throne on which he is seated. In front of him is a monogram, perhaps containing the Greek letters A and T; this may indicate that the coin was minted at Ecbatana (modern Hamadan, in western Iran). A largely illegible Greek inscription surrounds the man. On the basis of the recognizable letter forms and comparison with inscriptions on earlier Parthian coins, it is probably intended to read "of the king of kings Arsaces the generous, just, renowned and Greek-loving." The blurriness of the image suggests it was struck with a worn die.
This coin was struck by the Parthian king Pacorus II (reigned ca. A.D. 78–110). The king on the obverse is probably meant to be Pacorus himself, wearing a diadem as a symbol of victory and a tiara, the main type of Parthian royal crown. The identity of the figure on the reverse is unknown; perhaps it is an idealized Parthian king, depicted as an archer. The figure of the archer is quite stylized, in contrast to earlier Parthian coins where it is more closely modeled on the image of Apollo that appears on early Seleucid coins. The head of the king on the obverse also exhibits some stylization, such as in the schematic rendering of the eye and beard. It seems that sometime during the first century A.D. the Parthians rejected Seleucid stylistic models altogether, in favor of this more schematic rendering.
The inscription on the reverse is almost entirely illegible, as are most inscriptions on Parthian coins after ca. A.D. 100. If interpreted correctly, this inscription names the first ruler of the empire Arsaces I (reigned ca. 247–217 B.C.), rather than the current ruler. It may be a reference to the dynasty founded by Arsaces, or perhaps the seated archer is meant to represent him. It is also possible that all Parthian kings were called ‘Arsaces’ as a title or throne name.
On the obverse of this silver coin, a bust of the king faces to the left. He has a short beard rendered with vertical lines, and wears a domed hat (called a ‘tiara’) with a diadem (the headband worn by victorious athletes in ancient Greece) tied over it. The tiara is decorated with curls. He also wears a torque or necklace around his neck. A border of dots surrounds the image.
The reverse shows a seated man facing right. He wears sleeves and trousers under a cloak, as well as a diadem, of which only the ends are visible at the back of his head. In his hand he holds a bow with the bowstring upwards. A cross and horizontal line beneath him and a vertical line bisected four times seem to represent a high-backed throne on which he is seated. In front of him is a monogram, perhaps containing the Greek letters A and T; this may indicate that the coin was minted at Ecbatana (modern Hamadan, in western Iran). A largely illegible Greek inscription surrounds the man. On the basis of the recognizable letter forms and comparison with inscriptions on earlier Parthian coins, it is probably intended to read "of the king of kings Arsaces the generous, just, renowned and Greek-loving." The blurriness of the image suggests it was struck with a worn die.
This coin was struck by the Parthian king Pacorus II (reigned ca. A.D. 78–110). The king on the obverse is probably meant to be Pacorus himself, wearing a diadem as a symbol of victory and a tiara, the main type of Parthian royal crown. The identity of the figure on the reverse is unknown; perhaps it is an idealized Parthian king, depicted as an archer. The figure of the archer is quite stylized, in contrast to earlier Parthian coins where it is more closely modeled on the image of Apollo that appears on early Seleucid coins. The head of the king on the obverse also exhibits some stylization, such as in the schematic rendering of the eye and beard. It seems that sometime during the first century A.D. the Parthians rejected Seleucid stylistic models altogether, in favor of this more schematic rendering.
The inscription on the reverse is almost entirely illegible, as are most inscriptions on Parthian coins after ca. A.D. 100. If interpreted correctly, this inscription names the first ruler of the empire Arsaces I (reigned ca. 247–217 B.C.), rather than the current ruler. It may be a reference to the dynasty founded by Arsaces, or perhaps the seated archer is meant to represent him. It is also possible that all Parthian kings were called ‘Arsaces’ as a title or throne name.
Artwork Details
- Title: Drachm
- Period: Parthian
- Date: ca. 78–110 CE
- Geography: Iran
- Culture: Parthian
- Medium: Silver
- Dimensions: Thickness: 1/16 in. (0.2 cm)
Diameter: 13/16 in. (2 cm) - Credit Line: Bequest of Charles K. Wilkinson, 1986
- Object Number: 1987.481.2
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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Parthian or Kushan
ca.1st–2nd century CE
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ca. 6th–7th century CE
ca. 1st–2nd century CE
Parthian
ca. 78–110 CE
Parthian
ca. 110–129 CE
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