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In ancient times, the Silk Road was a vitally important trading route linking the Mediterranean Basin to the Far East. Along this route were lands comprising modern day Iran and Iraq. The area grew in importance in mid first millennium BC as part of the great Achaemenid Empire. By mid 3rd century BC, the territory was a satrap of the Seleucid Empire, until Arsaces I, leader of the Central Asian nomadic tribe known as the Parthians, led a rebellion. Arsaces was successful in founding his own Parthian Kingdom, and sat atop an extensive feudal system where sub-kings and satraps were delegated various powers. Arsaces and his clan of Parthians were renowned as warriors, particularly for their expertise with the bow and the horse. Of particular note was the Parthian cavalry's highly impressive ability to turn their bodies backward to shoot a composite bow while still riding at full gallop. Firing a "Parthain shot" required both hands to load, aim, and release the arrow, and, since stirrups had not yet been invented, the rider also needed the leg strength to remain horseback, not to mention the equestrian skill to keep a racing steed under control without reins.
Given their warrior nature, the Parthians were not necessarily keen on writing down their own history. Regrettably, much of the surviving knowledge about ancient Parthia is based the writings of their enemies, for example the Romans, and therefore subject to bias. Some information can be gleaned from ancient coinage. However, the Parthian kings rarely proclaimed their names on coins. Instead, they simply re-titled themselves “Arsaces,” which came to mean “King of Kings,” similar to the Romans use of "Augustus". Parthia's original rulers engraved their coins in perfectly legible Greek, but successive kings' epithets enigmatically devolved into characters that today are difficult to comprehend.
This particular coin is a drachm issued under King Vologases III, who reigned from 105-147 AD. The Parthian Kingdom was in midst of civil war at this time, and pressured on its borders, particularly in Mesopotamia to the west. This area was in conflict with Augustus Trajan, who endeavored to extend his powerful Roman Empire progressively further to the east. Before he died in 117 AD, Trajan stretched Rome's borders as far eastward as they would ever reach. Outlasting Trajan was Vologases III, who also successfully defended his realm against subsequent Augusti Hadrian and Antonius Pius. Rome never conquered Vologases III, nor any other Parthian king for that matter.
Under Vologases’ long rule, the Parthian Kingdom prospered in its own Golden Age, as evidenced by a large volume of surviving ancient coinage. One example is this silver drachm, struck in early to mid 2nd century AD at an unknown mint, possibly Ecbatana (modern Hamadan, Iran). The obverse portrait is quintessentially Parthian - the monarch in left profile, sporting a long, prominently pointed beard, and donning a three-tiered diadem with a loop. The reverse design also represents Parthian sensibilities: a throned figure, presumably Arsaces I, holding a bow, with a "blundered Greek" legend below. Like the majority of Parthian art, architecture, and religious beliefs, this coin depicts a melting pot of various Persian, Hellenistic, and regional cultural styles.
Relying on their considerable prowess as warriors, the Arsacid dynasty maintained their rule and repelled foreign invasions for many centuries. In mid 3rd century AD, internal strife triggered a transformation into the next Persian Empire (ruled by the Sassanids), and the longest-lived Empire of the ancient Near East finally came to an end.
Coin Details: PARTHIAN KINGDOM, Vologases III, 105-147 AD, AR Drachm (3.53 g), Ecbatana mint(?), NGC Grade: Ch MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: bare-headed bust of king facing left, with long pointed beard and an earring visible, wearing a diadem with a loop on the back of the head and three ends; border of dots, Reverse: Legend surrounding enthroned archer, and monogram, References: Sellwood 78 (no exact die match found, design similar to many in the series).