Parthicus

I haven't seen Plutarch's biographies of Greek and Roman notables listed yet (though you included some of his other works). There are various translations and anthologies available (under a number of titles), I generally like the ones published by Penguin but others may have reasons to prefer other versions. Isidore of Charax's Parthian Stations gives some geography of the East, though it's a) pretty short and b) mostly just lists places and the distances between them with little other information, so not exactly a page-turner. Pliny the Elder's Natural History is worthwhile to see how an intelligent and cultured man in the early Roman Empire understood the natural world. Modern historians: Michael Grant is extremely readable, but he was focused on the Romans. Tom Holland's Persian Fire is a good attempt to understand the Achaemenids on their own terms, and not just as a bunch of faceless mooks for the noble Greeks to righteously slaughter. George Rawlinson's Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy is a very readable history of Parthia, though it's badly out of date (being written in the Victorian era); Fred Shore's historical sections in Parthian Coins and History are much more up-to-date, but first you have to actually find a copy of the book. G.R.F. Assar's essay in the Sunrise collection book is probably the most up-to-date overall history of Parthia, though of course it's heavily numismatic-oriented. Touraj Daryaee's Sasanian Persia is a worthwhile description of that period in Persian history. Finally, John Julius Norwich's History of Byzantium is well worth a read if you care at all about that part of history (and even if you're indifferent, he is great at telling a story, so check it out anyway). He also wrote a history of Norman Sicily that is out of print and a bit hard to find, but well worth the trouble.

Lu'lu'ids. Mosul mint. Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (1234-1259 CE/631-657 AH), dated 631 AH. AE dirham. Obverse: Classical head left in square, Arabic legend around (partly off flan) giving mint of al-Mawsil and date 631. Reverse: Central legend in four lines citing the Abbasid caliph al-Mustansir, circular legend around citing Badr al-Din Lu'lu' and his nominal Ayyubid overlords al-Kamil and al-Ashraf. Album 1874.1, Spengler/Sayles 68, Mitchiner WoI 1131. This coin: Stephen Album Internet-only Auction 25, lot 401 (2024). Badr al-Din Lu'lu' is sometimes considered the founder of his own short-lived dynasty, the Lu'lu'ids, and sometimes counted as a usurper within the Zengids of Mosul. He was a former slave, of Armenian heritage, who converted to Islam and became an administrator under the Zengid emir Nur al-Din Arslan Shah I. In 1211 he became the atabeg (officially tutor, but effectively regent) for the new, still a child, Nur al-Din Arslan Shah II, and then his younger brother and successor Nasir al-Din Mahmud. In 1233 Nasir al-Din Mahmud disappeared (presumably quietly killed on orders of Lu'lu') and Lu'lu' began to openly rule solo. He asked the Caliph in Baghdad for official recognition, and in 1234 was proclaimed the sultan of Mosul with the title al-Malik al-Rahim (the Merciful King). Which, given how he acquired the throne, seems like a misnomer, or perhaps a bad joke. Despite the way he acquired the throne, Lu'lu's reign was generally a time of prosperity and cultural flowering for the people of his territory, which included a large portion of northern Iraq. Lu'lu' proclaimed allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph and to the Ayyubids. In 1243, he would also recognize the authority of the Mongols, which spared Mosul from being destroyed. In 1258, he would even provide provisions and weapons to Mongol troops passing through his territory for the Siege of Baghdad, which ended with the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate to which Lu'lu' had pledged his allegiance. Badr al-Din Lu'lu' died in 1259 and was succeeded by his son Isma'il bin Lu'lu'. Isma'il would initially continue his father's support of the Mongols, but after the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, when the Ayyubids were able to defeat the Mongol forces, Isma'il switched his loyalties to the Ayyubids. The Mongol leader Hulagu would besiege Mosul for nine months, and in 1262 completely destroyed the city, bringing the Lu'lu'id dynasty to an ignominious end. I bought this coin, not only for the history behind it, but also because of the very striking portrait on the obverse. This type was struck only at the mint of Mosul and is only known dated to 631 AH, though given the relative abundance of this type, Spengler and Sayles suggest that the type may have been struck for several years with a frozen date. They also suggest that the figure on the obverse may be an astrological representation of the sun, though they admit that the evidence for that is weak. Regardless, this is an attractive and historical coin, and I was happy to win it in auction. Please post whatever related coins you have.

I hope you're not having a thread on Sasanian coins without me... First, one minor correction: Not entirely true. Some of Khusro II's drachms have the Persian word "AFID" (praise) in the 5 o'clock position. (This inscription is also found in that position on Tabaristan coins, including the OP coin.) Most Arab-Sasanian drachms have the Arabic "Bismillah" (in the name of God) in that position. If you want to read the dates and mintmarks on Sasanian coins, check out the invaluable webpages on Forum, which are based on the late Tom Mallon's work: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Sasanian Mints https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Sasanian Dates I have a number of Sasanian coins, so I'll post just a couple of pieces. First, the highlight of my Sasanian collection, a very rare drachm of Queen Boran (629-631): An obol of the first Sasanian king, Ardashir I, struck while he was still a vassal to the Parthians, before he overthrew the last Parthian king to establish the Sasanian dynasty c.224: And a popular type, a drachm of Varhran II (276-293) that shows the king, queen, and prince:

Now that April has started, I feel that it's time to make my big announcement. As most of you know, I have been focusing my collection mainly on ancient coins, particularly those that reveal aspects of history. I also enjoy reading up about the history of the times and places these coins were minted, and I often end up learning, not just history, but also religious beliefs, art history, geography, languages, even zoology (how else would I have ever heard of a zebu?). But no more. After watching a few Youtube videos and browsing Etsy, I have seen the light. Clearly, the path to collecting happiness (not to mention easy $$$$) is in collecting modern mint errors found in circulation, or on the ground in parking lots. Take a look at these beauties I found at the local supermarket this weekend: I figure these have to be worth at least $100 each. But what do you think? Do you have any comparable errors to share? Let me know, but before you reply, please check today's date, and have a great day. 😉

Very nice coins, here's my square AR drachm of Apollodotus I:

My "waiting line" is relatively under control at the moment, I have just 3 coins that have arrived and are likely to get a full write-up: I also have one coin that I won at auction which hasn't arrived yet, so, at the risk of jinxing it, here is the seller's photo:

Parthian Kingdom. Seleukia-on-the-Tigris mint. Billon tetradrachm (25 mm, 11.32 g). Vologases III (c.111-146 CE), dated Periteios 433 Seleucid Era (January 122 CE). Obverse: Bust of king left, wearing tiara and diadem, alpha (officina mark?) behind. Reverse: King seated on throne facing left, Tyche standing before and handing him diadem; surrounded by 7-line Greek legend (partly off flan) "Basileos Basileon Arsakou Olagasou Dikaiou Epiphanous Philellenos" (Of King of Kings Arsakes Vologases, Just, Illustrious, Philhellene), year date 433 above and between King and Tyche, month date Periteiou in bottom-most exergue (partly off flan). Sellwood 79.2, Shore 407v., Sunrise 446v. This coin: Pars Coins Bargain eSale 16, lot 26 (March 7, 2024). Vologases III reigned during an unsettled period of Parthian history, and very little is known for certain about him. A rival claimant to the throne, Osroes I (c.109-128) controlled much of Parthia for the greater part of Vologases' reign, and it was Osroes whose armies were defeated by Trajan and who was (temporarily) forced to abandon his capital. Another contender, Mithradates V (c.128- 147) also controlled parts of Parthia at the same time. The most common coins traditionally assigned to him, the Sellwood Type 78 drachms, have been reassigned by Assar to yet another ruler, Pakoros (78 to at least 110, possibly to 120). Fortunately, Vologases included his personal name on his tetradrachms (you can read the "lagas" portion on the rightmost edge of the reverse on my specimen), making at least this identification secure. This type is known with five different letters (alpha through epsilon) behind the portrait, which seems consistent with the theory that they are officina marks. While not particularly high grade, this is a decent specimen, and the month is still readable, which is frequently not the case with Parthian tetradrachms. Please post your related coins.

Seljuks of Rum. AR dirham. Kayka'us II, first sole reign (1246-1249 CE). Obverse: Inscription within square. Reverse: Inscription within square. Album 1223.1. This coin: Frank S. Robinson Sale 1123, lot 378 alternate (January 23, 2024). (Sorry the historical section is short, I don't have the time now to understand and explain the complex history of the Seljuks of Rum in general, and Kayka'us II in particular.) The Seljuks of Rum were an offshoot of the Seljuks Turks who ruled an area in central and eastern Anatolia starting in 1077 CE. In 1243, they were defeated by Mongol forces in battle and were only able to continue as vassals to the Ilkhans (Mongols of Persia). Kayka'us II succeeded his father Kaykhusraw II in 1246, and ruled alone for several years before placing parts of his domain under the rule of his two younger brothers Qilij Arslan IV and 'Ala al-Din Kayqubad II. His later life involves fights with his Mongol overlords and his brother Qilij Arslan, flight to the Byzantines under Michael VIII Palaiologos, an attempt to betray Michael, and eventually exile to Crimea (under the Golden Horde) where he died in exile. This coin appealed to me as a very aesthetically pleasing piece. The form of calligraphy and its arrangement is harmonious, and the coin itself is strongly struck and well-centered. Please post your coins of Kayka'us II, or whatever else is related. (I will be disappointed if I don't see some of the lion-and-sunface dirhams of his father Kaykhusraw II!)

Parthian Kingdom. AR obol. Mithradatkart mint. Orodes II (57- 38 BC). Obverse: Diademed bust of king left. Reverse: Seated archer facing right, blundered four-line Greek legend around, Mithradatkart mintmark under bow. Sellwood 48.15v. (different mintmark). This coin: Frank S. Robinson Sale 123, lot 69 (January 23, 2024). Orodes II was a son of the Parthian king Phraates III (c.70-57 BC). In 57 BC, Orodes and his brother Mithradates (called Mithradates III in older references, now believed to be IV) conspired to kill their father and take over the throne. The two brothers seem to have shared power for a short while, but soon quarreled, and within a couple of years Orodes killed Mithradates to become sole ruler. Orodes had several fights with the Romans, most notably at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC where the Parthians wiped out a large Roman force led by the triumvir Crassus. In 38 BC, his favorite son Pakoros was killed in battle in Roman Syria, forcing the distraught Orodes to choose a new heir. Unfortunately, the son he chose, Phraates IV, was quite bloodthirsty and promptly killed his father and other brothers to consolidate his grasp on power. All Parthian fractional silver is rare; the majority of Parthian silver coins are drachms, with tetradrachms making up most of the remainder. This type of obol from Orodes II is listed in Sellwood's catalog from the Ekbatana and Rhagae mints, but not from Mithradatkart. It is not unknown, however, as I found two CNG auction appearances, in Triton VII lot 454 (2004) and CNG 105 lot 505 (2017). It is nonetheless rather rare, and a nice addition to my collection. Please post your coins of Orodes II, Parthian fractional silver, or whatever else seems related.

Sasanian Kingdom. AR drachm. Yazdegard I (399-420 AD). Obverse: Bust of Yazdegard I right, legend in Pahlavi script around giving his name and titles. Reverse: Zoroastrian fire-altar with two attendants, crescents and pellets above, to right mintmark AS ("uncertain site in Khorasan"). This coin: Pars Coins Bargain eSale 15, lot 52 (February 22, 2024). (historical section contains reused text) Yazdegard I (399-420 AD) was the son of Shapur III (383-388) and brother of Vahram IV (388-399). His three immediate predecessors had all been killed by high-ranking nobility (which still included many of the Parthian noble families, nearly two centuries after the last Parthian king died) and conflict with the nobles would continue in his reign as well. He also came into conflict with the Zoroastrian priesthood for his considerable toleration of both Christians and Jews in his realm; indeed, some sources call him "the sinner", though Christians and Jews referred to him as a new Cyrus the Great, and Yazdegard himself took the title Ramshahr, "peacemaker in [his] realm". Yazdegard maintained good relations with the Eastern Roman Empire, and was declared a guardian of Arcadius' young son, the future Theodosius II. He died around 420 in the northeast (in the traditional homeland of the Parthians), probably murdered by the nobility although accounts differ. We do know that the nobles tried to prevent Yazdegard's sons from taking the throne, but one of them, Vahram V, with help from an Arab army was able to succeed his father. This is a rather nice example, there's very little wear (though there is a flat area on the reverse around the rightmost attendant's head, probably caused during striking by insufficient metal to completely fill the die). Not much else to say, just a nice, attractive coin that only cost $41. Please post your coins of Yazdegard I, or whatever else is related.

Here's an early Abbasid dirham, the lovely Kufic script style is more typical of Umayyad coinage but the coin is definitely Abbasid, based on both the clear date and the reverse inscription being the second half of the kalima "Muhammad is the messenger of God". This coin is anonymous but has the date 145 AH (762/3 CE), placing it during the reign of the caliph al-Mansur (136-158 AH/ 754-775 CE), the second Abbasid caliph and founder of Madinat al-Salam (City of Peace) a.k.a. Baghdad. This coin, however, is from the much scarcer mint of Arminiyah (Armenia):

Just to add to the confusion (as often happens with Parthian coins), the drachm that @Sulla80 posted is from a different king, Artabanos III (or IV, or V, depending on which revision you accept) who reigned c. 80- 90 CE, the coin type is Sellwood 74.6. This can be distinguished from Artie II by a more degraded "Greek" legend on the reverse, especially in the top two lines "Basileos basileon"- Artie II has the first sigmas in both words as a squared C and the E is normal, while Artie III turns the sigmas into a single vertical line, and the E loses its top and bottom tines to become something like I- . Also, look at the space under the archer's legs- Artie II has a line of several small dots, while Artie III has a + sign. The reverses of Parthian drachms are pretty monotonous in overall design, but they can give important clues for ID.

Thanks for the appreciation @Sulla80, glad I inspired you to purchase an example of this type. Fred Shore notes in his book: "The rare series of tetradrachms of Artabanos with facing bust show a fierce warrior-king, certainly an image we would expect from a king who regained his throne wearing the rags he wore as a solitary hunter in exile. They probably present a closer picture of what a Parthian really looked like than any other portrait coin." While these tetradrachms are fairly rare, his standard drachms from the Ekbatana mint (Sellwood type 63.6) are one of the most common Parthian coins. Here's an example with some interesting doubling on the reverse:

As @ValiantKnight said, the coin is Umayyad based on style. Fortunately the Umayyad dirhams always state the mint and year on the obverse (the second photo in the OP), I am pretty sure the mint is Wasit (in southern Iraq, probably the most common Umayyad mint for silver) and the year seems to be 105 AH (723/4 CE).

Meh. Ravens aren't playing, Eagles aren't playing, so I'm not very excited for today's game. Guess I'll probably watch anyway, because Sports: But I do have a pretty superb owl of my own, on this Phoenician didrachm of Tyre: Or if you prefer a live bird, I saw this nesting Great Horned Owl a few years ago:

Happy New Year! There's a dragon on this 1 yen from Japan dated Meiji 16 (1883): And dragons on these Chinese 20 cash coins from the first decade of the 20th century (I'm too lazy to figure out the exact dates right now):

"A pile-on post of the coins of Baybars I seems unlikely" Challenge... accepted: Baybars I, AE fals. Feline in lozenge of dots, surrounded by inscription (mostly off flan)/inscription within six-pointed star. Also, when I first posted this coin over in the "Other Forum", I titled my post "Hit Me Baybars (One More Time)". ...I make no apology for that pun.

Arab-Sasanian. AR drachm (30 mm, 4.11 g). Darabgird mint, dated Year 60 [AH]. Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr (680-692). Obverse: Sassanian-Style bust right, inscription in Pahlavi Persian script "apdwla-i zubiran amir-i-wurrishnikan" (Abdallah ibn Zubayr, Commander of the Faithful), in margin Arabic "Bismillah" (In the Name of God). Reverse: Sassanian-Style fire altar with two attendants, to right Pahlavi mintmark "DA" (Darabgird), to left date 60. Album 16. This coin: Pars Coins eSale 14, lot 78 (January 16, 2024). (note: historical section below has reused text) Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr was born in 624 AD in Medina, and was reportedly the first child born to the earliest wave of Muslim converts who had fled from Mecca to Medina. He also had numerous family ties to leading early Muslims, including to Muhammad. Ibn al-Zubayr had a successful military career in the early expansion of Islam, particularly in North Africa and northern Iran. While he did not oppose Mu'awiya's ascension to the Caliphate (the start of the Umayyad Caliphate), in 680 he refused to recognize Mu'awiya's chosen successor and son Yazid, as he did not think the caliphate should be hereditary. Ibn al-Zubayr fled to Mecca, while another rebel, Husayn ibn Ali, fought against Yazid's forces at Karbala and was killed. (The martyrdom of Husayn is a key event for Shia Muslims to this day.) In 683, Ibn al-Zubayr seized control of Mecca and gathered allies from other parts of Arabia. Yazid sent forces against Ibn al-Zubayr, but Yazid's death in late 683 led to the soldiers withdrawing. Yazid's son and successor died just a few months later, leading to a period of confusion known as the Second Muslim Civil War. Ibn al-Zubayr proclaimed himself Caliph, and was acclaimed as such in much of the Muslim world. This map shows the areas giving allegiance to Ibn al-Zubayr in green (map courtesy Wikipedia): However, by 685 the Umayyad caliphate had started to recover under Marwan I, and Zubayrid control outside of Arabia was largely in name only. Ibn al-Zubayr refused to leave the city of Mecca to lead from a more militarily advantageous locale, which harmed his long-term prospects, and his provincial governors were virtually independent. Umayyad troops finally killed Ibn al-Zubayr at Mecca in 692, ending this short-lived caliphate. One puzzling aspect of this coin is the date of 60 AH. This would correspond to 679-80 CE, the first year of al-Zubayr's refusal to accept further Umayyad rule. However, the obverse gives him the title "Commander of the Faithful", normally only used by the Caliph, and al-Zubayr didn't claim this until 683 CE. On the other hand, I've seen claims that some provincial or local leaders with loyalty to al-Zubayr started using this title for him as early as 680, even though al-Zubayr himself hadn't officially claimed the office yet, so this could be a provincial official giving his "boss" a premature upgrade in title. Also, there are many examples of frozen dates in Arab-Sasanian coinage, especially from the Darabgird mint, so it's also possible that this is just another example of that phenomenon. I think the Arab-Sasanian series is the only one where having a date on a coin actually makes us less sure of when it was struck. An interesting and historic coin, in essentially mint condition, rated "Scarce" in Album's checklist, so an excellent addition to my collection. Please post any related coins you have.

I won 1 coin and got an alternate on another. My only outright win was the coin I most wanted, a Parthian obol (all Parthian fractional silver is scarce) with an unlisted-in-Sellwood mintmark (but known from a couple of examples that have turned up in the market). I also got an alternate of a Seljuk silver dirham, not rare but a very attractive example- even people who don't usually care for non-pictorial Islamic coins might not turn their noses up at it. Photos (and full write-ups) to come.

Guess I'm a mix of Niche Collector and Orientalist. (You mean not everyone gets excited about rare Parthian and Sasanian mintmarks?) Bonus: Here's a sneak peak at the next coin I plan to post about:

Habbarids of Sind is also my gut reaction. Which is probably worth about what you paid for it, but there it is.

Nice coins everyone! I had some (I thought) healthy bids on a few coins but got outbid on everything. Guess I'll check to see if any of the group lots tomorrow are worth trying for. Oh well, it means more money available for Frank Robinson's auction on Tuesday!

(photo borrowed from seller) Crusaders, Principality of Antioch. AE follis. Tancred as regent (1104-1112). Obverse: Tancred facing, holding sword over shoulder and wearing turban. Reverse: Cross, in 4 quadrants abbreviated Greek legend IC XC NIKA (Jesus Christ Conquers). This coin: Forum Ancient Coins, December 2023. Tancred was born around 1075 to a noble Norman family. In 1096, he accompanied his uncle Bohemond on the First Crusade. He showed a great military strategic mind in leading troops into the Levant through Cilicia, capturing strategic sites along the way. He was part of the siege of Antioch in 1098 and was among the first Crusaders to enter Jerusalem in 1099. (He claimed to be the very first, but this was disputed.) He became regent of Antioch in 1100 while his uncle Bohemond was prisoner of the Danishmendid Turks (which lasted until 1103), and in 1104 also took over the County of Edessa when Baldwin II was captured by the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Edessa. Also in 1104, Bohemond returned to Europe to recruit more soldiers, leaving Tancred regent at Antioch again. In late 1108 Baldwin was released and had to fight Tancred to regain possession of Edessa. Meanwhile, Bohemond had signed a treaty swearing an oath of fealty to the Byzantine emperor Alexius I, but Tancred refused to honor the treaty, keeping Antioch independent of the Byzantines. Tancred died in 1112 in a typhoid epidemic. This coin appealed to me because of the portrait of Tancred. It is somewhat worn, but the main features are reasonably clear, showing a long, straight beard, a high forehead, and most interestingly, a turban atop his head. Why would a Christian, European Crusader portray himself wearing a turban? Presumably it is some sort of attempt to appeal to the locals and show that he accepted at least some part of their culture. An interesting coin, from an interesting period of history that I haven't explored much before now. Please post your related coins.