|
KINGS of PARTHIA. Mithradates I. 165-132 BC. AR Drachm (17.5mm, 3.97 g, 10h). Ekbatana mint. Struck circa 148-138/7 BC. Diademed and draped bust right / Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, holding bow; monogram to outer left. Sellwood 12.1 var. (no monogram); Sunrise 258; Shore –. Bright surfaces, slight doubling on reverse. EF.
Mithradates I was renowned for prudence and military ability; with his accession, Parthia’s true expansion began, and eventually culminated in the formation of one of the most successful oriental monarchies. In a series of campaigns following the death of the Seleukid ruler, Antiochos IV, in November/December 164 B.C., Mithradates extended Parthian frontiers in the east and west. He first took advantage of Baktrian weaknesses, caused by prolonged and violent wars between Eukratides I and Demetrios II, and annexed the two strategically important eparchies of Tapuria and Traxiane sometime after 163 B.C. With the eastern frontiers secured, Mithradates turned west and conquered Media Magna and Atropatene. Then, in June/July 141 B.C., his forces overran Mesopotamia and captured Seleucia on the Tigris and Babylon. We next hear of Mithradates in Hyrcania, perhaps preparing for the defence of Parthia’s northern frontiers against steppe invaders. At the same time it appears that his generals extended his campaigns into Elam and ultimately established Parthian suzerainty over the greater part of that province. Mithradates’ last known triumph was against the Seleukid king, Demetrios II, whom he captured and sent off to Media (and later married to his daughter Rhodogune). It is generally believed that Mithradates’ latest dated coinage (S13.5 and S13.10) marks the end of his reign before October 138 B.C. However, information in several cuneiform tablets reveals that he was alive until 132 BC.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session Two, which will begin 13 May at 2 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
We recognize that our users may have various Internet Browsers and Operating Systems. We like our visitors to have the best possible experience when using our bidding platform. However, we do recognize that it is impossible to develop applications that work identically, efficiently and effectively on all web browsers. The CNG bidding platform supports the latest stable major version and stable previous version of Chrome and Firefox.
|
