Parthicus

I'm currently reading this book: While it's not a catalogue of coins, it does discuss Kushan coins in some detail, as is necessary in discussing Kushan history, religion, and iconography. It's overall organized as the author telling his life story, and the many adventures he's had and interesting people he's met during his decades spent studying the Kushans. Fascinating reading, hopefully it tides me over until the British Museum catalogue of Kushan coins comes out this spring.

A very nice Parthian-based list! I voted for #1 and #7 as my favorites, but there are no losers on this list. Here's my own example of type #7:

Don't know why I missed this interesting and informative thread when it came out. I also have an example of the Arghun coin for comparison: The "MWOI" reference is to Mitchiner's "World of Islam", the third volume of his "Oriental Coins and Their Values" series. It is in the same format as the better-known Ancient and Classical World (MACW) and Non-Islamic States & Western Colonies (MNI) volumes. It is photo-illustrated (about 4000 photos), which is a big plus. However, it is not nearly as comprehensive as one might hope- some series receive extensive coverage, others little or none. Some photos aren't clear, and crucially, I've heard from more experienced collectors that there are some important mistakes in attribution that sneaked into the published text. An okay reference if you happen to have it, but I wouldn't expend too much effort seeking out a copy.

Yep, it's King Huvishka riding an elephant, with goddess Mao reverse. I think the coin with lion is from either Taxila or Pushkalavati (it's a little out of my expertise). Nice coins!

Here's a couple of inexpensive coins I bought at the Whitman Baltimore show in October. A small Kushano-Sasanian bronze of Hormazd Kushanshah (c. 270-300) for just $15: And a square AE trichalkon (22 x 22 mm) of the Indo-Scythian king Azilises for $25: I bought a bunch of other inexpensive coins, but those two stand out to me in terms of detail-to-price ratio. In general, a lot of Eastern coins sell cheaper than their Greco-Roman equivalents, due to fewer competing collectors. Of course, you really have to do your homework, but isn't that the fun part?

A nice and eclectic mix (sort of like my own Best Of lists 😀). If you want to learn at least the basics of reading Arabic coin inscriptions, you're in luck, as Umayyad and Abbasid coins are probably the easiest to read, both because they are so formulaic (so once you know the pattern you only have to read a few words to attribute) and the Kufic Arabic script is usually pretty clear and well-engraved. I recommend the book "Arabic Coins and How to Read Them" by Michael Plant. I also really liked the face on the shield of the Attalos I stater.

When I saw the title, I thought it would be about this song: The usual Sasanian reverse was a Zoroastrian fire-altar with two attendants. Here's a representative example, on a drachm of Khusro II (590-628):

A very nice and varied grouping. I think my favorite is actually #10. It's a gorgeous design, and I like the idea of commemorating Liberty and the Rule of Law so prominently. Plus, I like the inherent tension between the obverse and reverse- reflecting how France was still partway between a Monarchy and a Republic and hadn't fully committed to the latter course. I've eyed this type in auctions before but never committed to bidding a realistic amount. Maybe in 2023...

I guess it's time for my annual Best Of list for 2022. Overall it was a pretty good year for my collection. I obtained two types that had been on my "bucket list" (#1 and 3 on the year list) and bought a number of other interesting coins. So, without further ado, let's get into the list.1. Sasanian Kingdom, AR drachm of Queen Boran (630-632). A rare coin, and one that I've sought for a while. Boran was one of many claimants for the throne following the murder of her father, Khusro II, in 628. One of only two Sasanian queens to appear on coins under her own right (the other was her sister Azarmidokht, whose coins are even rarer.) 2. Parthian Kingdom, Orodes II (57-38 BCE), AR drachm of Traxiane. A rare mint for Orodes (or any other Parthian king) and an interesting portrait style. After purchasing it, I discovered that my coin is a double die-link to a coin formerly owned by group member @Alwin , which adds to its coolness. 3. Roman Republic, AE As (c. 169-158 BCE). I've admired the Janus portrait on Roman Republic bronzes for a long time, and I finally found an example I liked at a reasonably low price. 4. Kushan-Sasanians. AE 20. Peroz Kushanshah (c.245-270). I like the incorporation of Central Asian and Indian imagery into a coin by a Sasanian Persian vassal, and the obverse is better preserved (with clearer inscription) than most examples I found online or in reference books. I also received some good suggestions for further research, which this coin definitely deserves. 5. Japan, AR 1 yen, Meiji 16 (1883). A nice example of early struck Japanese coinage, and with chopmarks that validated the coin for use in China after it had been demonetized in Japan. A mini-lesson in late 19th century Asian economics. 6. Bundi (Indian Princely State), AR rupee, 1901. The "portrait" style is wonderfully anachronistic for a coin that was struck in the 20th century. 7. Celtic, Eastern Europe, AR drachm. c. 2nd century BCE. I just really like the distinctive Celtic artistic style on this coin, which imitates the coinage in the name of Alexander the Great. 8. Kushans, AE didrachm. Kanishka (c.127-147). The deity on the reverse is clearly named (in Greek lettering!) as Helios, showing the persistence of at least some Hellenistic culture in Central Asia over four centuries after the death of Alexander. 9. Indo-Scythians, AE square trichalkon. Azilises (c. 57-35 BCE). Just a pleasant coin, and I had fun attributing it (bought unattributed for $25). 10. Sasanian, AR drachm. Khusro I (531-579), Year 20. Amul mint. I found this shortly after reading an article about the scarce Sasanian mint of Amul, so of course I had to have this coin. So there's my Top 10 for 2022. Which was your favorite? What are you hoping to acquire in the coming year? Please share your thoughts below.

I visited Hadrian's Villa when I was in Rome in spring of 2001, here are a couple of photos I took then: And a denarius of Hadrian, from early in his reign. His portrait style looks closer to Trajan, he seems to be competing with Trajan for how many letters he can squeeze into the legend, and the reverse legend starts out proclaiming him "Son of Parthicus" (i.e., of Trajan). Hadrian wanted to make sure that everybody knew that Trajan had duly appointed Hadrian his successor, there were no death-bed shenanigans involved, no sir.

Parthian Kingdom. Traxiane mint. AR drachm (20 mm, 4.01 g). Orodes II (57- 38 BCE). Obverse: Diademed bust left, no star or crescent symbols in field, toque ends in pellet. Reverse: Seated archer right, mintmark T under bow, somewhat degraded Greek legend around. Sellwood 45.27. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 31, lot 104 (October 31, 2022).(note: Next 1.5 paragraphs made with recycled post-consumer text)Orodes II was a son of the Parthian king Phraates III (c.70-57 BCE). In 57 BCE, 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 BCE where the Parthians wiped out a large Roman force led by the triumvir Crassus. In 38 BCE, 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.The portrait style on this coin is quite nice, but what most made me decide to buy it is the rare mintmark of T for Traxiane. Traxiane was the Parthian-era name for what was later called Khorasan, in northeastern Iran, and refers to the whole province rather than just one city. Traxiane is one of the rarest mintmarks for the 1st century BCE (only Aria seems to be rarer, in my experience) so I was quite happy to snag this coin.However, I was even more excited to discover, while researching the coin, a possible die link. Compare this coin to one posted in CoinTalk by @Alwin in a thread discussing a previous coin of mine: After careful comparison, I am convinced that both obverses were struck from the same die. My coin shows more detail on the clothing decorations, which is due to more of the design fitting on my coin's flan. There is a small die break on my coin's obverse, connecting the lower two diadem ends, that is not visible on Alwin's coin; this may mean that Alwin's coin was struck before the die break occurred, and mine was struck afterwards. I am less sure about the reverse: the two coins are indeed extremely similar on the reverse, but there seem to be a few minor differences. (On my coin the T mintmark has prominent dots at the end of both arms of the crossbar, while on Alwin's the right end does not have a dot. There are some other small apparent differences in the legend letters on the right side of the coins.) It seems unlikely to randomly stumble across a die linkage like this, but given that this coin issue is scarce, there were probably not a lot of different dies used to originally strike these coins, so the likelihood of finding a die linkage for any two randomly selected coins of the issue is increased. Please let me know what you think, and post any related coins you have.

Bundi (Indian Princely State, now part of Rajasthan), 1 rupee, VS 1958 (=1901 AD). I really like the "portrait" of Edward VII on the obverse.

(image borrowed from seller as my photos didn't come out well) Sasanian Kingdom. AE pashiz (19 mm). Vahram V (420- 438). Obverse: Bust of king right, crescent and Varavahar symbols in front. Reverse: Zoroastrian fire-altar with two attendants. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 31, lot 208 (October 31, 2022).(historical section contains re-used text)Vahram (also spelled Vahrahan or Bahram) V was born around 400 AD to the Sasanian king Yazdegard I (399-420) and his wife Shushandukht, the daughter of the Jewish exilarch (leader of the Jewish community in Mesopotamia). As his mother was Jewish, Vahram would therefore be considered Jewish under Jewish tradition, even though there is no evidence that he ever practiced the Jewish religion. Young Vahram was sent off to be raised at the court of the Lakhmids, an Arab dynasty that ruled part of southern Iraq and northern Arabia. In 420 AD, a conspiracy of nobles and Zoroastrian priests murdered Yazdegard and placed one of his sons on the throne as Shahpur IV, but they soon after murdered him and replaced him with Khusro (who was so short-lived he doesn't even get a number). Vahram rushed back to the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon to claim the throne for himself. A folk tale claims that he had the royal crown placed between two lions, and challenged Khusro that whoever could retrieve it by killing the lions should be king. Khusro proved a coward and refused, while Vahram successfully passed the challenge and was accepted as king. While this almost certainly never happened, it is certain that Vahram was able to claim the throne fairly quickly, with support from the priests.The first major incident of his rule was a brief war with the Eastern Roman Empire. At the urging of the Zoroastrian priests, he began persecuting Christians in his realm, many of whom fled to Roman territory and attracted the sympathy of Theodosius II. In 421, the Romans and Sasanians fought in Armenia and Mesopotamia, to a relative standstill. A peace treaty the next year reset relations between the two empires, with no territory exchanged, and with both sides guaranteeing religious freedom in their realms. He then fought a more significant war with the Kidarite Huns, who had been ravaging the eastern part of Sasanian territory. This war proved far more decisive, with Vahram ultimately killing the Kidarite king and forcing out the Kidarites. He also ended the practice of giving Armenia a semi-independent king, incorporating it as a frontier province of the empire under a margrave. His policies of cancelling many taxes and public debts made him popular with the people. He encouraged musicians, and loved hunting; his nickname of "Vahram Gor" (Vahram the Onager, or wild ass) reflects his favorite prey. Vahram died in 438 AD, in unclear circumstances; different sources claim he died peacefully in bed, or fell into a cave, or a swamp, or drowned. Vahram has had considerable popularity in Persian culture, and is the subject of several major poems. Vahram was an interesting and historically important ruler, but this coin especially interested me because of the uncommon symbol it uses. On the obverse, you will note what looks like a human stick-figure, with a circle head and single-line limbs. This is actually a stylized version of a Faravahar:The Faravahar is a Zoroastrian religious symbol, and was most often found on Achaemenid-era carvings, although it also occurs in Persis and Sasanian contexts. Its exact meaning is unclear, and it derives from pre-Zoroastrian precursors, but it has been used to symbolize the Zoroastrian faith. It is also sometimes used as a secular symbol of Persian culture. The reason for its use on this coin is not known; perhaps Vahram wanted to burnish his credentials as a supporter of the Zoroastrian faith? Regardless, it's an interesting and scarce symbol to find on a coin, and this coin will likely make an appearance on my forthcoming end-of-year Top 10 list. Please post whatever coins you have that are related.

Yes, I collect coins with reverses that reference Roman interactions with Parthia. Trajan issued a few types commemorating his Parthian War and his setting up of Roman client-kings in the Mesopotamian region. Here's a REX PARTHIS DATVS (A King given to the Parthians) and a REGNA ADSIGNATA (Kingdoms Assigned):: This Septimius Severus shows Parthian captives and the reverse inscription starts with PARTH MAX (Parthicus Maximus): And this Marcus Aurelius shows Victory inscribing a shield with VIC PAR:

Thanks @DLTcoins for your notes on the inscription. Unfortunately Mitchiner is the only reference I have in hand for Kushano-Sasanian (and many other) coins. It is a useful reference but, as you note, should certainly be considered skeptically. I usually supplement it with online sources such as Zeno, but of course Zeno has its own issues. Why doesn't someone just make a complete, up-to-date, accurate, easy-to-use book that fully attributes every variety of ancient coin? Oh, and the book should be free or very inexpensive. I can't imagine why nobody has made such a book. 🤔

Next up in my review of my Baltimore Whitman show haul: two Kushano-Sasanian bronze coins. Coin 1: Kushano-Sasanians. AE 15. Hormazd Kushanshah (c.270- 300). Obverse: Bust of king right, Pahlavi inscription around. Reverse: "Investiture scene" with Hormazd standing on left, deity (or sub-king) partially seated on right. Jongeward 2221-2224. This coin: Purchased from Tamco Numismatics at Baltimore Whitman Coin Expo (October 2022). Coin 2: Kushano-Sasanians. AE 20. Peroz Kushanshah (c. 245-270). Obverse: Kushan-style king standing, facing left, holding trident in left hand and sacrificing over altar with right hand, Bactrian legend around. Reverse: Shiva standing facing, in front of bull facing left. MACW 1275-7, MK1105. This coin: Purchased from Aristos Ancients at Baltimore Whitman Coin Expo (October 2022).The newly formed Sasanian Persian Empire conquered territories in Bactria, Gandhara, and Sogdiana from the Kushans about 225, and shortly afterwards set the area up under a series of governors who took the title of Kushanshah (King of the Kushans). Little is known of their history except from scattered inscriptions and their coins. The Kushanshahs issued coins in their own names, although some shared their names with kings of the main Sasanian line, distinguished only by their title of Kushanshah. The coins contain a mix of Kushan-derived and Sasanian-derived designs. Around 360 the Kidarite Huns conquered most of the region, and what was left was absorbed by the Sasanians into their main territory, ending the line of Kushanshahs.Both of these coins were sold attributed, and I have included these attributions above, but I still have questions about each coin. For Coin #1, I believe the attribution to Hormazd Kushanshah is correct. However, different sources gave different explanations of the reverse scene. The taller figure on the left is identified as the Kushanshah (recognizable by this wearing the same headdress as on the obverse), but the identity of the partially-seated figure is less clear. Some say it is a deity conferring authority on the Kushanshah, others say it is a subordinate ruler receiving his authority from the Kushanshah.This seems like it would be a difficult argument to solve definitively. For Coin #2, my uncertainty is with which Kushanshah issued the coin. The seller identifies this as a coin of Peroz Kushanshah (c. 245-270), and all the examples of this type I found on Zeno also attribute it to Peroz. However, Mitchiner's Ancient and Classical World (MACW) assigns this type to Peroz. The inscription on this coin appears reasonably clear, but I had some trouble reading it. The left portion (from about 7 to 10 o'clock) seems to spell out "Kushan" in Bactrian, but I couldn't work out the rest of the inscription. Maybe you can read this and confirm or refute the Peroz ID? Anyway, thanks for reading, and please share your related coins.

My opinions on the Sasanian coins: Coin 2 is Hormazd IV, the others are all Khusro II. (You probably already knew this as you didn't ask, but maybe someone else was wondering.) The date on Coin 2 is AShLA (10). I can't see the other dates well enough to say anything useful. Mintmarks: Coin 1: BBA (Court Mint, which traveled with the king) Coin 2: probably NAL (Narmarshir in Kirman Province) Coin 3: almost certainly SK (Zaranj in Sakastan (Sijistan)) Coin 4: probably NAH (uncertain site) The dates on the remaining coins may be identifiable after cleaning. Hope this helps.

Pahlavi inscriptions read from right to left, like any sensible Middle Eastern script, and most vowels are not written. Here's a couple of examples to get started:

The Sasanian mint and date sites, started by the late Tom Mallon, are now available as part of Forum Numismatics' NumisWiki: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=sasanian mints https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Sasanian Dates Have fun!

A very nice group of coins, hard to choose between the Claudius and the Marc Antony/Octavia, but if pressed I'd give the edge to the Marc Antony/Octavia just because of the history behind it.

Woo-hoo, the first miracle of the Festivus season! Guess I should put up my aluminum pole soon. 😀 I've only ordered from Zurquieh once before, and I had no problem with the shipping. At the apartment building where I live, all mail and other packages are signed for by the front desk, so that probably eliminates some potential problems. I bought some uncleaned Sasanian drachms years ago, I think it was from Joel Malter. Naturally most were Khusro II, but I had fun cleaning and attributing them. Good question on why Sasanian coins are (somewhat) cheaper than Parthian. My guess is it comes down to supply and demand, though I'm not sure on the details. I think Parthian are a bit more popular than Sasanian (Parthians have Greek legends, Parthians are more associated with Golden Age and Silver Age Rome, to ID Parthians you don't have to try and read Pahlavi inscriptions that were badly engraved to begin with, poorly struck and then corroded, which doesn't even take into account how similar so many letters are... sorry, I tend to rant about terrible Pahlavi script), though a lot of collectors (like me!) collect both. We'd also predict Sasanian coins to be more common- assuming equal amounts of Parthian and Sasanian coins were initially struck, more Sasanians should survive because they've had less time to be melted down, corroded to nothing, etc. Or maybe some other factor that I'm not seeing- it's 2 AM and I have insomnia, perhaps tomorrow I'll have a flash of insight.

Personally, I do still use BC/AD, just because I like it and enjoy the added connection to the past. I am non-religious, so the religious meanings behind use of the title "Christ" don't matter to me, any more than having days of the week named after pagan gods affects me. (Side note: official Quaker writings often use "First Day", "Fourth Day" etc. instead of the pagan-derived day names, to avoid seeming to praise pagan deities.) I assure everyone that I intend no disrespect at all to persons of any faith. Now, if you asked about what system to use for transliteration from Chinese, I made the switch to Pinyin a while ago, and have utterly refused to use Wade-Giles since. Why have I embraced the change in that case, and not in how to express Christian Era dates? Absolutely no logical reason whatsoever. Maybe I'll decide to embrace CE dating after all... but then I'll have to go back and rewrite the labels on a bunch of my coins. Aha, a logical reason for hanging on to BC/AD dating: laziness!

A very interesting idea to explore, @robinjojo, and one that could apply to a lot of my collection. One important aspect to consider is the use of bilingual legends to appeal to two different audiences. This AE 21 from the second reign of Seleucid king Demetrios II (129-125 BC) has a thoroughly Hellenistic obverse portrait and reverse depiction of Poseidon, but the reverse legend is in both Greek and Phoenician, indicating the continued importance of the Phoenician language in his realm: A lot of Bactrian-successor coinages (Indo-Greek, Indo-Parthian, Indo-Scythian etc.) feature a mix of Greek language and Hellenistic imagery with local languages (written in Kharoshthi script) and sometimes Indo-Iranian imagery. This Indo-Scythian AE of Azilises features bilingual inscriptions (Greek and Kharoshthi) and a very Greek Herakles with club: I suppose most Parthian coinage would qualify, with the mix of Greek inscriptions (and sometimes portrait styles and reverse types) with more Parthian/Central Asian nomad-style imagery (the seated archer wearing his baggy horse-riding trousers, and some portrait styles). This drachm of Phraates IV (38- 2 BC) has a standard Greek inscription that is quite readable despite the double-strike, but the obverse portrait is distinctly Parthian:

I've worked up two more coins from my Whitman Baltimore haul and am ready to present my findings: Coin 1: Bactria. AE square obol (21 x 19 mm). Eukratides I (171-135 BC). Obverse: Helmeted bust right, 3-line Greek legend around "[Bas]ilews Megalou [Eukratidou] (Of the great king Eukratides). Reverse: The Dioskouroi on horseback, two-line Kharoshthi legend above and below "Maharajasa [Evukratidasa]" (Of the great king Eukratides). MACW 1730-1732, This coin: Purchased from Tamco Numismatics at the Baltimore Whitman Coin Expo, October 2022. Coin 2: Indo-Scythians. AE square trichalkon (22 x 22 mm). Taxila mint. Obverse: King on horseback right, 4-line Greek legend around "[Bas]ilews basileon megalou [Azilisou]" (of the great king of kings Azilises). Reverse: Herakles seated left holding club, Kharoshthi legend around. MACW 2286. This coin: Purchased from Tamco Numismatics at the Baltimore Whitman Coin Expo, October 2022.(Some historical sections below recycled from earlier posts of mine.)Bactria was a territory containing land in what is now Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. The area was conquered by Alexander the Great, and it devolved on his Seleucid successors before breaking away and calving its own line of secessionist Indo-Greek kingdoms. Eukratides I became king of Bactria in 171 BC by overthrowing his predecessor, Euthydemus I, although it is unclear if Eukratides was a disgruntled Bactrian army officer or if he was a relative of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV who headed to the Wild East to try and reclaim lost Seleucid territory. (The start date of Eukratides' reign is set at 171 BC because of a historical mention by Justin that Eukratides of Bactria took power at the same time as Mithradates I of Parthia. If you've read anything about the difficulties in our understanding of Parthian history, you realize how insane it sounds to use Parthian history as a fixed point for dating other events.) Eukratides would go on to have military success against his Indo-Greek neighbors, but he lost some of his western territory, including the city of Herat (in modern Afghanistan) to Mithradates I of Parthia. He is considered one of the most important Bactrian kings, and he issued a large amount of coinage. While the king's name is off the flan on both sides, the designs are sufficient to narrow down the identification.The Indo-Scythians were originally a nomadic people who conquered a large region in the northern and north-western Indian subcontinent around the mid-2nd century BC. Unfortunately, the details of Indo-Scythian history are poorly understood, as very few historical sources survive; Indo-Scythian history makes Parthian history look complete and uncontroversial. Azilises appears to have co-reigned with Azes I, although some scholars hold that Azes I and Azes II were actually one long-lived king. It is known that shortly after the reign of Azes II, the nascent Kushan Empire conquered Taxila and surrounding territories, as they expanded at the expense of the Indo-Scythians. The city of Taxila, located in what is now Punjab province in Pakistan, was a major point of contact between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent for many centuries, from the around 1000 BC to the time of the Kushans, but it began to decline in importance until it was finally destroyed by the Huns and abandoned in the 5th century AD. While the king's name is missing on the Greek inscription, the Kharoshthi plainly reads "Ayilishasa" on the left side, making the ID secure.I picked these coins from a $25 per coin "your pick" pile of mixed Bactrian, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian etc. coins. (This is the same group that yielded the Indo-Parthian coin I recently posted.) Square bronze coins are an interesting feature of these series, and I picked out two examples that were well-preserved and had interesting designs (Dioskouroi on galloping horses and Herakles with a huge club), so that I could have fun identifying them later. Please post whatever related coins you have.

Thanks @velarfricative for the correction on the Kharoshthi legend. I was relying on Mitchiner for the word order in the missing section, and wasn't confident in my ability to read the weak traces of legend in the 1-3 o'clock section of the reverse. @Spaniard: I've been busy again the last few days, but will try to write up more coins as soon as I have time. Definitely an interesting haul, worthy of a few hours hunched over reference books...