Obverse: Bearded Portrait of the King Crowned
with a Tiara
Reverse: Archer Facing Right Seated on an
Omphalos
Mithradates II, Son of Artabanus II, was the
eighth Parthian king who came to the throne
about 124 B.C. Second only to Mithradates I as
most powerful Parthian king, he defeated all
Seleucid attempts to reclaim their Eastern
territories, turning Parthia into a formidable,
unified empire. He recovered all Mesopotamia
and conquered Characene, overstriking coins of
Hyspaosines and driving him from his capital in
122 or 121 BC. Along the way, Mithradates II
assumed the Achaemenid title "king of kings"
and introduced new titles and designs on his
extensive coinage including the Parthian tiara
(see on the obverse), which became a standard
symbol of kingship in many eastern kingdoms,
and the title Epiphanes, or "god manifest".
During the reign of Mithradates II, the first
contacts with Rome, under Lucius Cornelius
Sulla, were made, and portents of future
struggles were evident in the lack of any
agreement between the two powers. Mithradates
II died about 88 B.C., although he may have died
a few years earlier.
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.2287)
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