Obverse: Bearded Portrait of the King Crowned
with a Tiara
Reverse: Archer Facing Right Seated on an
Omphalos
After the death of Alexander the Great, his
expansive empire was divided among three of his
most loyal generals, with Seleucis assuming
control of the eastern portion. The Seleucid
Dynasty was thereby established, following in the
footsteps of the Persian, Assyrian, and Babylonian
Empires, with its capitals at Antioch (in modern
Syria) and Seleucia (in modern Iraq). However, as
history has shown, maintaining calm and order
over such a large territory, encompassing so
many different cultures, proved difficult if not
impossible. In 245 B.C., the Parthians revolted
against the Seleucids under the leadership of
Satrap Andragoras, igniting a civil war that would
lead to further autonomy, despite the continued
recognition of the Greek kings as their superiors.
Although the Parthians had been mentioned in
Assyrian text as early as the 7th Century B.C., it
was not until the rise of Mithradates I that the
yoke of Seleucid control was toss aside and
Parthia reached the heights of its glory.
Mithradates the Great quickly conquered the
lands of Babylon, Media, and Elam, establishing a
great empire that would rival Roman dominance
and last until 224 A.D. when the Sassanid Empire
finally subjugated their lands.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural details that are often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies.
More than just a memorial commemorating a
ruler, this coin is a gorgeous artifact, passed
down from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation,
revealing the glorious triumph of a lost
civilization.
- (C.2285)
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