A Hoard of Coins From Eastern Parthia / by Heidemarie Koch

NUMISMATIC
NOTES
AND
MONOGRAPHS
No. 165
HOARD
OF
COINS
EASTERN
BY
FROM
PARTHIA
HEIDEMARIE
KOCH
'AAERIC
/
' mwmfc JmMSBS//
VsoatTT Mgr
THE
AMERICAN
THE
J.PAUL
NUMISMATIC
GETTY
MUSEUM,
SOCIETY,
MALIBU,
NEW
YORK
CALIFORNIA
1990
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NUMISMATIC
NOTES
AND
MONOGRAPHS
No. 165
COPYRIGHT
1990
THEAMERICAN
NUMISMATIC
SOCIETY
ISSN 0078-2718
ISBN 0-89722-239-3
PRINTED
IN BELGIUM
ATCULTURA,
WETTEREN
/';-=09
)(8*=-0/']
HOARD
OF
EASTERN
THE
AMERICAN
THE
J. PAUL
COINS
FROM
PARTHIA
BY HEIDEMARIE
KOCH
NUMISMATIC
SOCIETY,
GETTY
MUSEUM,
MALIBU,
NEW YORK
CALIFORNIA
1990
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
PREFACE
vii
ABBREVIATIONS
ix
INTRODUCTION
CATALOGUE
NortheasternMints
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8
Group 9
Group 10
10
Group 11
Group 12
11
5
6
7
9
10
13
SoutheasternMint: Susa
18
Group 13
Group 14
19
ANALYSIS OF GROUPS
23
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
53
SUMMARY
63
65
PLATES
v
PREFACE
In the springof 1982, myhusband Guntramand I wereable to spend

two monthsin Malibu at the invitationof the Getty Museum. We
would like to thankthe Trustees,StephenGarrett(then Director),Ji
Frei (then Curatorof Antiquities),and Laurie Fusco (of the Academic
AffairsDepartment),for this unforgettablestay.
My special thanks are to Ji Frei who drew to my attentionthe
Museum's unusual hoard of easternParthian coins and who entrusted
me with work on them.
Thanks are due to Donald Hull and Penelope Potter forthe photoand Renate Dolin for
graphingof the coins, to Marit Jentoft-Nilsen
their untiringhelp, to Melanie Richter-Bernburgfor the excellent
translationofthe text,and to ChristophBoehringer,ArthurHoughton,
and William F. Spengler for their scholarly advice in the field of
numismatics.
We would like to extend our warmestthanksto all the membersof
the staffat the Museumforthe friendlyhelp and supporttheygave us
whilewe werein Malibu, especiallyJiFrei and Faya Causey who did
muchto make it possibleforus to get to knowCaliforniaand its people
better.
HeidemarieKoch
Marburg
vii
ABBREVIATIONS
Aliotte de la Fue
BSOAS
CHI 3, 1
CHI 3, 2
Colledge
Debevoise
Dobbins
GardnerBMC
Gobi 1962
Gobi 1968
Gobi 1
Gbl 2
Aliotte de la Fue, Monnaies de Vlymade (Chartres,1905)

Bulletinof theSchoolof Orientaland Afrian Studies,Universityof London
E. Yarshater,ed., The CambridgeHistory
of Iran, vol. 3, pt. 1, The Seleucid,Parthian and Sasanian Periods (London,
1983)
E. Yarshater,ed., The CambridgeHistory
of Iran, vol. 3, pt. 2, The Seleucid,
Parthian and Sasanian Periods (London,
1983)
M. A. R. Colledge, The Parthians (London, 1967)
N. Debevoise, A Political History of
Parthia (Chicago, 1938)
K. W. Dobbins, "Sanabares and the
1971,
Gondophares Dynasty," NC
pp. 135-42
P. Gardner,BMC Greekand ScythicKings
of Bactria and India (London, 1886)
R. Gobi, Die Mnzen der Sasaniden (The
Hague, 1962)
R. Gobi, SasanidischeNumismatik,Handbcherder mittelasiatischenNumismatik
1 (Brunswick,1968)
R. Gbl, AntikeNumismatik1 (Munich,
1978)
R. Gbl, AntikeNumismatik2 (Munich,
1978)
ix
Abbreviations
F. Hill, BMC GreekCoins of Arabia,

Mesopotamiaand Persia (London,1922)
Kahrstedt
U. Kahrstedt,ArtabanosIII. undseine
Erben (Bern, 1950)
Le Rider
G. Le Rider, Suse sous les Sleucideset
les Parthes, Mission de Susiane, Mmoires de la dlgation archologique
en Iran 38 (1965)
M. Mitchiner,The Ancientand ClassiMitchiner,AncientWorld
cal World, 600 B.C. - A.D. 650. OrientalCoins and Their Values (London,
1978)
M.
Indo-Parthians
Mitchiner,
Mitchiner,Indo-Greekand IndoScythianCoinage,vol. 8, The Indo-Parthians (London, 1976)
"Monnaies des rois Elymade" G. Le Rider, "Monnaies lgende
grecque et monnaies des rois Elymade," Mission de Susiane, Mmoires
de la dlgationarchologiqueen Iran
37 (1960), pp. 3-37, pls. 1-5
F. D. J. Paruck, Sasanian Coins (rpt.
Paruck
Delhi, 1976)
Petrowicz
A. von Petrowicz, ArsacidenMnzen
(rpt. Graz, 1968)
K. Schippmann,GrundzgederparthiSchippmann
schenGeschichte
(Darmstadt, 1980)
Sellwood
D. Seilwood, An Introductionto the
CoinageofParthia (rpt. London, 1980)
Simonetta 1957
A. Simonetta, "An Essay on the SoCalled 'Indo-Greek'Coinage,"East and
West 8 (1957), pp. 44-66
Simonetta 1978
A. Simonetta,"The Chronologyof the
GondophareanDynasty,"East and West
28 (1978), pp. 155-87
Wroth BMC
W. Wroth, BMC Parthia (London,
1903)
Hill BMC
INTRODUCTION
Some yearsago, the J. Paul GettyMuseumwas givena singlefindof

266 coppercoins that was inventoriedas part of 75.NI. 109. According
to oral reports,the gift came frompresent-dayIran, there were no
silvercoins presentat the timethe findwas made, and its composition
was unalteredat the time of donation.
At first glance, these small copper coins, most of them poorly
preserved,seem unimportant.On closerobservation,however,mostof
them must come fromthe northeasternpart of the Parthian kingdom
and therefore
froman area whosehistoryis stillonlyvaguelyknownto
us. Insofaras thereare literarysourcesforthe historyofthe Parthians
at all, they stem primarilyfromthe Parthians' westernneighbors,in
particularfromthe Romans,1with whom they were oftenengaged in
armed conflict.The farthereast the Parthians were fromthe border
withthe Roman Empire,the fewerthe extantliteraryreports.Chinese
sources,on the otherhand, of whichthereare scatteredinstances,2are
concernedmainly with the provinces borderingon their territories,
withthe Kushans and the inhabitantsofthe Indus Valley,so that there
is stillverylittleknownabout easternIran whichis the provenanceof
the Getty Museum hoard. The major potential historicalsource of
informationon this area is, therefore,numismaticmaterial,of which
very little has been published up to now.
1 Seeesp.Tacitus,
Dio Cassius;
Ann.;Strabo;Justinus;
Ptolemy,
Geog.;andPliny,
HN. Foran annotated
seeG. Widengren,
who
CHI 3, 2, pp.1264-69,
bibliography,
thelackofindigenous
textsin Parthian
historical
regrets
history
(p. 1261).
2 ForthelaterpartoftheParthian
see theannalsofthesecondHan
kingdom,
ofwhichthereis an excerpt
intheencyclopedia
ofMa-twan-lin
Dynasty,
preserved
auschinesischen
zurKenntnis
(thirteenth
century
A.D.),0. Franke,
Beitrge
Quellen
derTrkvlker
undSkythen
Zentralasiens
derPreussischen
Akademie
, Abhandlungen
derWissenschaft
(1904). See also Widengren
(above,n.1), pp.1265and 1267.
1
A Hoard from Eastern Parthia
For many years Head's listingof rulersand chronologywas moreor

less the standard for the field.3 During the last few years, some
numismatistshave begunto focuson these problemsand have triedto
establishat least a relative chronologyforthe rulers. The suggested
dating,dependingon how the rulersare identified,variesby as muchas
a hundred years. The find now at the Getty furnishesmuch new
materialand a numberof coin types that are not yet to be foundin
published sources. The collection is also importantbecause of its
composition,forit includesa groupof coinsfromElymais,an area that
is relativelywell documented historicallyand numismaticallyas a
resultof effortsby the Frenchwho have been carryingout excavations
at Susa foryears. The occurrenceof coins fromElymais togetherwith
coins fromthe eastern part of the Parthian kingdommay therefore
supply furtherinformationfor establishinga chronology.
In 1978, A. M. Simonettawrotewithregretabout the disappearance
of a findof coins: 4'Some fifteenyears ago a 'hoard' of coppersattributed to Sanabares was offeredon sale in the U.S.A., but it has been
dispersed without any record of it being kept and so a possibly
invaluable piece of evidence has been lost."4 It is possible that the
coins in the Getty Museum are this very hoard of coppers.
3 HN, pp.818-22,cf.Debevoisewriting
27 yearslaterwithalmostno modification.
4 Simonetta
1978,p. 161.
CATALOGUE
The coinsin thisfindare uniformin both metaland type. The weight
varies as a rule between3.5 and 4 g, indicatingthat they were to be
regardedas drachms- the Attic drachm weighed 4.1 g. Drachms,
however,wereusuallyof silverin the Greek,Roman, and (forthe most
part) Parthian periods. Since copper has replaced silverhere without
exception,it suggeststhat the coins were struckat a time when silver
was not available for coinage.
The coins in the find,withthe exceptionof those fromElymais, are
all of the commonParthian type with the king in profilelefton the
obverseand an archerseated righton the reverse. The latteris always
holdinghis bow in frontof him in full side view. This motif,drawn
fromhellenisticprototypes,is found on the coins of the kingdom's
founder,ArsacesI, the leader of the Parnian invadersfromthe north
and the man forwhomthe rulingfamilyof the Arsacidsis named. He
foundedhis kingdoma littleafterthe middleofthe thirdcenturyB.C.5
and, fromthat time on, the image of the seated archerwas used again
and again by the Parthianrulers,evidentlyas a consciousreferenceto
the founderofthe kingdom.On silvercoins,whichare usuallyofbetter
quality than the often coarsely struck copper coins, the archer is
dressed in long trousersand a cloak-like wrap similar to a Greek
chlamys. He is also wearing a head covering,a bashlyk,typical of
nomads in the Persian area of influence. In contrast,there is no
suggestionof attireon the coppercoins and only on the morecarefully
6 Debevoise,
ca. 250 B.C.; Colledge,
247 B.C.; A. D. H. Bivar,"The Political
ofIranundertheArsacids,"
CHI 3, 1,p.28 (citing
J.Wolski,
"TheDecline
History
oftheIranianEmpireoftheSeleucids
andtheParthian
tus12
Beginnings,"
Bery
established
hisindependent
rulein... 238
[1956-57],
pp.222-38)states"thatArsaces
B.C."
3
struckcoins in the main group of this findcan we distinguishcap-like

head coverings. On the earliest of the Arsacid coins, the archer is
sittingon a stool, probably a foldingcamp stool like those common
among nomads. From the time of MithradatesI (ca. 171 B.C.) the
archeris oftenrepresentedsittingon an omphalos,surelythe influence
of the Seleucid Apollo.6 Under MithradatesII (ca. 124/3)the archeris
seated on a throne,a featurethat is retainedfromthat time on. The
backrestof this thronecan sometimesbe seen on the copper coins in
thisfind,but in mostcases a simpleseat is suggestedrathercoarselyby
one vertical and two horizontalstrokes.
It has been assumed since the time of Gardnerthat the Greekletters
and monogramson the reverse below the bow indicate the mint.
Gardner was able to identifyonly a few mints, as was Newell.7
Recently Sellwood has attemptedto match over 30 combinationsof
lettersand symbolswitha dozen different
mints.8Over one-quarterof
the coinsin the hoardhave the symbolT7which,accordingto Sellwood,
is Margiana (Merv). Nearly one-halfof the coins, most of the large
group 12 coins, come froma mintidentifiedbelow as , or Abarshahr
(Nishapur).9 Quite a few coins bear the symbols 5 and, following
Sellwood, come fromAria (Herat). Only a few bear aTor ? and are
thereforefrom Traxiana (which this author believes is modern
Damghan, not Meshad).10Thus, all of these coins were mintedin the
eastern part of the Parthian kingdomand, more particularly,in the
northernpart ofthat area. In additionto theseeasterncoins,thereis a
small group of Elymaean coins fromthe extremesouthwest.
6 Sellwood,
p. 11.
7 Gardner
BMC, p.24,andE. T. Newell,"TheCoinageoftheParthians,"
A.U.
Pope,ed.,A Survey
ofPersianArt(London,1938),vol.1,p.477.
8 Sellwood,
pp.13 and 15.
9 See thediscussion
below,pp.32-34.
10The site of Traxianahas not yet beenconvincingly
located.It has been
thatit be identified
withMeshadwhichis verycloseto Abarshahr
suggested
closefortwomints.Damghan,
some375 milesto the
(Nishapur),
inconveniently
seemsa morelikelyplacefora mint.It hadbeenoccupied
sinceprehissouthwest,
torictimesand was thecapitaloftheancientprovince
ofQumis.
Catalogue
Northeastern Mints
Obv. Head of ruler 1.
Rev. Archerseated r., holdingbow.
Phraates IV (ca. 38-2 B.C.) / Phraataces (ca. 2 B.C.-A.D. 4)
Group 1, Plate 1
Obv. pointedbeard, triangle-shapedhair style. To upper r. and
1. (?) traces of Nike crowning.
Rev. legends probably in two rows around flan. Beneath bow
1-5 n, 6-7 T.
Extremelyworn.
Margiana
1. Sellwood 54.9, "Phraates IV," 3.74
2. 2.99
3. Sellwood 56.13, as Mitchner,Indo-Parthians645, "Phraataces,"
3.48
4. 3.90 ^
5. 4.15 /
Traxiana
6. Sellwood 56.13, "Phraataces," 4.02 ?
7. 3.70 /
Phraataces (ca. 2 B.C.-A.D. 4)
Group2, Plate 1
Obv. probablypointedbeard,hair stands out at back, triangular
form. To upper r. and 1. Nike crowning.
Rev. archer has short trunk, very short calves. Legends
evidentlyin two rows,no longerlegible. Beneath bow, n.
Extremelyworn. Sellwood 57.14, "Phraataces."
6
Margiana
8.
9.
10.
11.
3.89
3.86
3.43
3.94
/"
/"
/
/
Artabanus II (ca. 10-38)
Group3, Plate 1
Obv. to upper r. and 1. Nike crowning.
Rev. archerhas very shorttrunk. Above CIAE; below CIAE; r.
bottom to top APTA. Beneath bow, n.
Extremely worn. Sellwood 62.12, "Artabanus II"; Dobbins,
p. 139,7, "Vardanes I or Gotarzes II"; Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians
1157 (left and center), "uncertainruler."
Margiana
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
3.52
3.93
3.78
3.75
3.87
3.70
/*
/
/*
*
Group4, Plate 1
Obv. diadem with large double bow at back of head; crescent
moon and star in frontof forehead.
Rev. archervery small. Legends illegible. Beneath bow, T.
Extremely worn. Sellwood 63.16, "Artabanus II"; Mitchiner,
Indo-Parthians1160 (second row center) "some West Afghan
local issues based on Parthian,ratherthan Indo-Parthian,prototypes."
Margiana
18. 4.28
19. 3.98
Catalogue
20. 3.87
21. 3.43
Vardanes I (ca. 40-45)
Group5, Plate 2
Obv. crescentmoon and star of six dots in frontof forehead,
dotted border.
Rev. circularlegend, illegible. Beneath bow R.
Very worn. Wroth BMC , p. 167, 55, pl. 27, 7, "Gotarzes";
Dobbins, p. 139, 8/G,"Gotarzes II (thoughthis is not certain)";
Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians1154 (bottomrow,center) 'Sanabares

II."
Margiana (or Aria?)
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
4.09
3.57
3.85
3.89
3.73
3.74
3.86
3.89
3.45
/*
*
/*
r
*
Vologases III (ca. 105-47)
Group6, Plate 2
Obv. double diadem; hair in threelayers,lightlywaved strands;
moustache ends turn downward; short diagonal strokes
depict beard on cheeks,slightlywavy beard on chin. Dot
formslower lip. Earring. Dotted border.
Rev. 1. thighvisible above r. Below traces of legend [BAJCIAC.
To 1. Vologases symbol 2. Beneath bow n.
Sellwood 78.12.
8
Margiana
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
3.46 /
Obv. in frontofforeheadcrescentmooncutsthroughborder.3.84 '
3.76 '
4.03 '
Rev. round cap on archer. Above bow CIA. 3.92 '
Obv. smallerhead, long beard, strandsof hair coarse. Double line
around neck. 3.47 |
37. Obv. small head, cheeks clean, pointed chin beard. Rev. 1. and
above ABACIA. No Vologases symbol. 3.55 |
Sanabares II (ca. second quarter of the second century)
Group7, Plates 2 and 3
Obv. double diadem with bow at back, hangingtie curves; hair
divided into three loose, more or less horizontalwaves;
moustachearchesdownward;chinbeard relativelystraight
at bottom. In frontof beard dot indicateslowerlip. Ring
around neck. Crescentmoon in frontof forehead;above,
star (not always preserved). Dotted border.
Rev. one thighhigher;knees depicted as round turningpoints,
one higher;1. foot behind r. so gap betweencalves. From
top 1. CANABAPHC BACIAE. Beneath large bow, large TT.
GardnerBMC, p. 113, 2, pl. 23, 11; Simonetta 1957, pl. 4, 16;
Simonetta1978, figs.2, 21; Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians,1154 (top
row, left).
Margiana
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
3.28
3.38
3.82
3.71
3.46
3.20
4.06
4.01
/
'
'
t
t
Catalogue
46. 3.62
47. 3.94 t
48. 2.83 t
Group8, Plate 3
Obv. double diadem,largetriangularbow at back, wavy tie; hair
in threealmostparallelwaves; moustacheturnsdown,then
up; narrowcheekbeard. Large almond-shapedeye. Traces
of crescentmoon and star in frontof foreheadon some
specimens.
Rev. archer probably bearded, with round cap. Thin line
indicates 1. thigh above r. Traces of circular inscription
CANABAPHC BACIAE[Y]. Beneath bow, large U.
D. Sellwood, 'The Ancient Near East," Coins: An Illustrated
Survey,650 B.C. to thePresentDay, ed. M. J. Price (1980), p. 253,
1198 (which is not, however,identical; there are, among other
things,fourlayersto the hair). Also relatedare: Dobbins, p. 139,
, 1154 (top row, center);
fig.4/S; Mitchiner, Indo-Parthians
Simonetta 1978, figs.2 and 22.
Margiana
49. 3.80 /
50. Obv. square beard, double ring around neck. Rev. alternating
series of angles at bottom,to 1. Gondopharessymbol 5. 3.50 f
51. Obv. hair in fourlayers. Rev. Gondopharessymbol,S. Mitchiner,
Indo-Parthians
, 1158 (top row, right).3.60 '
52. Obv. Crescent moon and star in front of the forehead.
3.73 '
53. Obv. crescentmoon in frontof forehead,cuttingthroughdotted
border.4.38 f
54. Rev. legend complete. Petrowicz, pl. 19, 7; Gobi 2, 2286;
Mitchiner,AncientWorld, 2647; Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians
, 1154
3.44
left
and
and
1158
row,
row,
f
left).
(second
(top
right)
55. Obv. hair in three layers, chin beard ends irregularly.Crescent
moon and star in frontof forehead. Rev. traces of legend on r.
edge, very coarse, corrupted.3.80 |
10
56. Obv. shorthairin threeloose layers. Rev. 1.legendcomplete.3.83 f

Group9, Plate 3
Obv. double diadem with roundedbow at back of very narrow
head; hair in four layers with loose waves; curved
moustache; lower part of cheek has beard of three
downwardstrands,endingin straightline. Dotted border.
Rev. beneath feetof archer,seriesof alternatingangles. Above
small bow, legend partiallypreserved. Beneath bow, TT.
Margiana
57. 3.12 '
58. 3.57 '
59. Obv. hair probably only in three layers. Top of head somewhat
wide. Rev. very small bow. 3.63
60. 3.43 '
61. 3.71 '
62. Obv. crescent moon in front of forehead. Rev. archer's cap
extends upward over foreheadand stands out in back. 3.90 '
63. Rev. large bow. 3.41 '
64. Obv. upper part of head very narrow. Rev. archer's headdress
looks like ski cap. Letter above small bow looks like Pahlavi alef.
3.49 t
65. Obv. large head partiallyoffflan. Rev. very coarse. 3.54 |
66. Obv. very coarse; four-layerhairstyle,upper part of head wider
with double diadem. Beard hangs down fromlower part of the
cheek. Crescentmoonand star in frontof forehead.Rev. illegible.
3.59 '
Group 10, Plate 4
Obv. double diadem withroundbow at back of head; three-layer
hairstyleof coarse strands;curvedmoustache;lowerpart of
cheek has beard consistingof three lines that run diagonally to bottom right,with square-cut chin beard. Ring
around neck; below, bow-shaped neckline of garment.
Dotted border.
Catalogue
11
Rev. 1. thigh visible above r., 1. calf disproportionatelylong.

Legend illegible;followingE at 1. traces of Y. Below, series
of alternatingangles. Beneath bow, TT.
Margiana
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
4.27
3.97
3.43
3.87
3.29
3.69
3.87
3.54
3.33
4.09
3.76
'
t
'
'
t
'
'
'
'
'
'
Sanabares II (ca. secondquarterofthe secondcentury)or his successor

Group 11, Plates 4-6
Obv. very coarse, 78-87; extremely coarse, 88-128. Double
diadem, hair in threeloose layers in coarse strands;short,
curved moustache; cheek beard represented by three
strokesrunningdownwarddiagonallyto r., with straightcut chin beard. Crescentmoon in frontof forehead? Ring
or necklineshowingon neck.
Rev. coarse, 78-87; extremelycoarse, 88-128. Individual parts
of archer's body exhibit rounded forms. Legend illegible.
Beneath stronglycurved bow 3.
For 88-128, Simonetta1957, pl. 4, 17; Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians
,
1154 (top row, right); Dobbins, p. 39, 5; Mitchiner, IndoParthians, 1158 (top row, thirdfromleft).
Aria
78. 3.63 '
79. Obv. large eye. 3.62 |
12
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
3.33 '
3.90 />
3.87
4.09 '
Obv. hair in loose bunch. 3.64 N
Obv. hair in loose bunch. Rev. Vologases (?) symbolto 1. 3.49 ?
3.67 '
Obv. has thick,unevenlump of copperon upperr. Rev. depression
in upper part. 3.27 '
88. 3.53 /
89. 3.67
90. 3.80 t
91. 3.85 t
92. Rev. dots in open space of bow. 3.75 |
93. 3.69 t
94. 3.11 t
95. Rev. as 92. 3.65 '
96. Rev. as 92. 3.71 '
97. Rev. as 92. 3.67 '
98. Rev. as 92. 3.66 '
99. Rev. as 92. 3.55 ?
100. Rev. as 92. 3.48 /"
101. Rev. as 92. 3.40 ?
102. 3.58
103. 3.52 '
104. Obv. strandsof hair cursorilyindicated,pointed beard. 3.84 '
105. 3.74 /
106. 3.79 '
107. Obv. very small knot of hair. 3.21 f
108. 3.54 />
109. 3.78 t
110. 3.55 *
111. 3.66 t
112. 3.67 '
113. 3.76 '
114. 3.17
115. 3.54 N
Catalogue
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
127.
128.
13
3.57 /
3.36 '
3.49 /
3.69 '
3.33
Obv. one-quarterof head offflan. 3.62 '
Obv. one-halfof head offflan. 3.48 '
Obv. head portrayedincompletely.3.14 f
3.63 '
3.93
3.71 '
3.52 '
3.41
RulerofAbarshahr(ca. secondhalfor last quarterofthe secondcentury)

Group 12, Plates 6-11
Simonetta1957, pl. 4, 18 and 20, "Sanabares II"; Dobbins, p. 39,
6, "Sanabares or, more likely, his immediate successor";
Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians,1155 (second and third fromleft in
top row), "Sanabares II (probably)," 1158 (first and last in
middlerow),"uncertainruler";Simonetta1978,fig.2, 24 and 25.
SubgroupA
Obv. double diadem of dots,triangularbow at back of head with
dots at the ends; hairin loose bunchmade up ofsmall curls;
curved moustache; cheek beard indicated by three coarse
strandsrunningdownwardto r.; chinbeard formedby four
slightlywaved strands. Crescentmoon and star in frontof
foreheadand cuttingthroughdotted border. Earringand
elaborate necklace.
Rev. cap extends above forehead and behind neck. Figure
booted, beneath feet AA upside down. Counterclockwise
= ABLTR, Abarshahr.
legend begins above bow: i1iu/J/m
Beneath very small bow,
14
Abarshahr
129. 3.62 '
130. 4.46 ?
131. 3.44 ?
132. 3.70 />
133. 3.84 /
134. 3.94
135. 3.63 t
136. 3.83 t
137. 3.52 />
138. 3.87 />
139. 3.50 t
140. 3.46 t
141. 3.24 t
142. 3.15 />
143. 3.11 />
144. 3.42 />
145. 3.33 ^
146. 3.29 />
147. 3.57
148. 3.24 /"
149. 3.26
150. 3.65
151. 3.60
152. 3.42
153. 3.36
154. 3.80 t
155. 3.52
156. 3.09 t
157. 3.66 t
158. 3.38 '
159. 3.67
160. 3.66 t
161. 3.57 '
162. 3.83
163. 3.78
Catalogue
15
164. 3.22 t
165. 3.59 t
166. 3.58 t
167. 3.62
168. 3.37 ^
169. 3.41
170. 3.52
171. 3.52 t
172. 3.54 i
173. 3.41 '
174. 3.71
175. 3.28 t
176. 4.06
177. 3.61
178. 3.82 t
179. 3.59 t
180. 3.56 t
181. 3.45 t
182. 3.20 t
183. 3.69 ^
184. 3.94 t
SubgroupB
Obv. portraitsmall, hair not as abundant so looks elongated.
Abarshahr
185. 3.73 ^
186. 3.65
187. 3.68 t
188. 3.91 t
189. 3.80 t
190. 3.27 ^
191. 3.49 /
192. 3.55
193. 3.84 /
194. 3.46 ^
195. 3.96 t
16
SubgroupC
Obv. coarser. Verysmallhead; curlsreplacedby waves. Crescent
moon above dotted border.
Rev. coarser. Archer wears round cap; calves shown nearly
frontal. Letters of legend widely spaced.
Abarshahr
196.
197.
198.
199.
200.
201.
202.
203.
204.
205.
206.
207.
208.
209.
4.19 '
3.96 '
3.58 '
3.80 '
Rev. cap with three dot-likedecorations.3.55
Obv. hair at back dividedinto pairs of curvedlines. Rev. 1. thigh
very short,1. calf long and bent back. 3.30 j
3.63 /
3.10
3.81 '
Rev. archerwears long trousers.3.70 '
3.80 '
3.33 '
3.27 '
3.77 '
SubgroupD
Obv. hair in loose waves. Earring split at bottom. Crescent
moon and star cut throughdotted border.
Rev. archer'scap extendedat neck. Last lettersoflegendwidely
spaced. Very small bow.
Abarshahr
210. 3.85 /
211. 3.75 '
212. 3.77
Catalogue
17
SubgroupE
Obv. top of head narrow; hair is pear-shaped, slight waves;
moustacheturnedup at end; squarelytrimmedchinbeard.
Double neckline.
Rev. archerwears cap with long extensionsabove foreheadand
behindneck. Last two lettersof legendverywidelyspaced.
Beneath very small bow, A.
Abarshahr
213.
214.
215.
216.
217.
218.
219.
220.
221.
222.
223.
224.
225.
226.
227.
228.
229.
230.
231.
232.
233.
234.
235.
236.
237.
238.
3.33 t
3.53 /
3.82
3.66
4.06 /
3.09 />
3.66 '
3.76 t
3.75
3.67
3.66 /
3.31 t
3.67 /
3.66 '
Rev. archer appears to be wearingtrousers.3.67 '
Double struck.3.48 '
3.64
3.64 '
3.59 '
3.51 '
3.55 /
3.53
3.49 />
3.31 '
3.47 '
3.59
18
239.
240.
241.
242.

2.93 /
3.44
3.35 '
Obv. hair appears to be more stepped. 3.50 f
SubgroupF
Obv. portraitvery similarto subgroupA, but curlierhair. No
crescentmoon or star.
Rev. Archerwearing short, round cap. Last letters of legend
widely spaced. Beneath bow
Traxiana
243.
244.
245.
246.
247.
3.33
3.77
3.40
3.66
4.08
'
'
'
'
'
Southwestern Mint : Susa

Vardanes I (ca. 40-45)
Group 13, Plate 12
Obv. double diadem; hair hangs almost straightdown; beard
trimmed short. Small, drop-shaped form in front of
forehead. Dotted border.
Rev. extremelypoorly preserved.
Le Rider, pl. 20, 228-29, 231-33.
248. 3.23
Obv. head of ruler1. (249-61) or facing (262-66).
Rev. female figure.
Catalogue
19
Unknownruler (ca. firstquarter of second century)

Group 14, Plate 12
SubgroupA
Obv. verysmall face. High bunch of hair above head, gathered
togetherin a stem-likeformat head, heavy bunch of hair
composedofbulgingcurlson neck; broad beard made up of
thick, loose curls. Neckline visible. Traces of anchor
behind head.
Rev. Athena, head r., in r. hand spear, in 1. shield, r. foot on
slightelevation. Dotted border.
Aliotte de la Fue, 184 and 186, "Vologases II ou III," pl. 14;
Wroth BMC , p. 187, 73, "Volagases I," pl. 29, 8; Mitchiner,
AncientWorld, p. 126, 723, "Prince B, circa A.D. 200"; J. de
Morgan,Numismatiquede la Perse antique, vol. 3 of E. Babelon,
ed., Trait(Paris, 1930), p. 484, "Prince , entre198 et 224 ap. J.C.," pl. 39, 31-32.
249. 2.66
Orodes III (ca. second quarter of second century)
SubgroupB
Obv. double diadem; above, large bunch of curls (250) or bunch
of hair (251-52); behind, several rows of curls (250) or
anotherbunch (251-52); pointed beard. Round neckline.
To 1. Aramaic legend 11*??]?WRWD MLK', King Orodes
(250). Dotted border (250).
Rev. head of woman 1., torso frontal,dotted hair curls,curved
braid fromtop of head ends in separate strands. To 1.
Aramaiclegend./c^oJ/WLP'N,
Ulfan(251), tracesoflegend
(252).
Hill BMC, pp. 280-81, "Orodes III," pl. 42, 5-6; Aliotte de la
Fue, 162-68; Aliottede la Fue, "Les Monnaiesde l'Elymade,"
RN 1919, p. 82, "Orodes III," pl. 2, 22-23; de Morgan,
pp. 481-82, "Orodes IV," "vers 193 ou 198 ap. J.-C." pl. 39,
14-16; "Monnaies des rois d'Elymade," 186, pl. 2.
20
250. 3.09
251. 2.86 /
252. 2.96 /
Abar-Bs (ca. 150-65)

SubgroupC
Obv. above double diadem, row of curls; above forehead,bunch
of curls; large bunch of hair at back (253), small bunch
(254-56), dotted bunch (257); dotted beard; chin beard in
two rows of dots. To r. anchor (254-57), above crescent
moon and star (257).
Rev. Artemisstandingfrontal,head r.; rayedcrown(255-56). In
1. hand bow, r. taking arrow fromquiver. Dotted border
(253-55).
Aliotte de la Fue, 179-82, "Orodes IV," pl. 14; Aliotte de la
Fue, Les Monnaiesde l'Elymade," RN 1919, p. 84, 32-33, "Y,"
pl. 2; Hill BMC , pp. 284-86, "uncertainkings,"Bi, 14-16, pl. 42;
de Morgan,pp. 483-84, "princea," 26, 28, pl. 39; "Monnaies des
rois d'Elymade," 190, pl. 2; Le Rider, pl. 74, 7-8.
253.
254.
255.
256.
257.
2.53
2.15
2.31
2.31
2.94
/
/
/"
Orodes IV (ca. 165-end of second centuryA.D.)

SubgroupD
Obv. double diadem,bow at back of head withtwo ties hanging;

high knot of hair on top of head, none on back of neck;
dottedchinand cheek beard. Aramaic inscription^7IJni,
WRWD MLIC (258). Dotted border.
Rev. head of Artemis1.; crownof double row of beads, base of
crowncurlsup over foreheadand at back; bow and two ties
at back. Earring with bead. Neck ring and drapery.
Anchorbehind head. Dotted border.
Catalogue
21
Aliottede la Fue 171, "Orodes IV," pl. 14; Aliotte de la Fue,

"Les Monnaies de l'Elymade," RN 1919, p. 83, a, pl. 2, 28, and
p. 84, b, "Orodes IV," pl. 2, 29; Hill BMC , p. 282, 1., Bg; de
Morgan,p. 483, 57, "Orodes V," pl. 39, 21; "Monnaies des rois
d'Elymade," 187-88, pl. 2; Le Rider, pl. 74, 4; Gobi 2, p. 204,
2077, "Orodes IV," pl. 101; Mitchiner,AncientWorld,p. 125, 720,
"Orodes VI, late 2nd. centuryA.D."
258. 2.68 /
259. 1.95
SubgroupE
Obv. double diadem with heart-shapedbow, two ties hanging;
one rowof curlson head, no hair at back; longbeard oftwo
rows of curls. Drapery visible.
Rev. Artemisstandingfrontal,head r., 1. hand withbow slightly
lowered,r. taking arrow fromquiver. Dotted border.
Aliotte de la Fue 176 "Orodes IV," pl. 14; Aliotte de la Fue,
"Les Monnaies de l'Elymade," RN 1919, pp. 83-84, 180,
"Orodes IV," Y, pl. 2, 32; de Morgan,pp. 483-84, 58, "Prince a,"
pl. 39, 27; Le Rider, pl. 74, 9.
260. 2.54 /
261. 2.50 ^
UnknownRuler (ca. 200)
SubgroupF
Obv. simple diadem, row of curls and bunch of hair above,
bunchesof curlsto r. and 1. beneath;ties visible beneathr.
bunch; moustache curves slightlyup; chin beard of two
rows of curls. Dotted border.
Rev. head of Artemis1., coveredwith small curls,rayed crown,
bow at back of neck, two ties. Ring around neck, below
beads (or drapery). Behind head anchor.
Hill BMC , p. 280, 2, "Orodes III," pl. 42, 2; Aliottede la Fue,
"Les Monnaies de FElymade," RN 1919, p. 83, b, pl. 2, 26; Le
Rider,pl. 74, 5; Mitchiner,AncientWorld, p. 126, "Prince C, early
3rd centuryA.D."
22
2.56 *
Cf. Hill BMC, pl. 42, 3-4; Le Rider, pl. 2, 5. 2.87 /
2.34 *
Cf. Aliottede la Fue, "Les Monnaies de l'Elymade," RN 1919,
pp. 82-83, "Orodes III," "avec un croissantet un astre,"pl. 2, 27,
but crescentand star not visible. 2.72 /
266. 2.16 A
262.
263.
264.
265.
ANALYSIS
OF
GROUPS
In analyzing the individual groups,we will begin with those coins

that can be classifiedmost readily with coins already known in the
literatureand which are thereforemost easily identified.The other
coins in the findwill thenbe groupedaroundthem,the state of preservation offering
some clues in this regard. The resultsof this analysis
have already been taken into account in the organization of the
catalogue so that the coins appear therein theirassignedchronological
order. In the analysis below, however,the numberingis not consecutive fromgroup 1 to 14 but skips back and forth. Following the
the catalogue numbersof the relevantcoins are
group identification,
given.
Group7, 38-48
Several coins of Sanabares II, ca. A.D. 125, are known. His name,
however,is not readilyexplicable. W. B. Henningsees in the firstpart
the old Parnic wordsn- meaning"enemy," and reads the second part
as bar- in the sense of "lead away."11 Sellwood 93.3 is a coin of
Sanabares with an Aramaic legend which he reads as 'n; unfortunately,he reproducesonlya drawingand not a photographofthe coin.
By way of contrast,the Aramaic letterson silver coins illustratedby
Simonetta12are clearlys'. 13
11Handbuch
derOrientalistik
, vol.1,pt.4 (1958),p.41, n.1.
12Simonetta
1957,pl.4, 10-15.
13Thesetwoletters
canalsobe seenbehindtheportrait
on Simonetta's
9. The
coinseemstherefore
tobe an issueofSanabares.Theproblem
ofwhether
thisis the
sameSanabares
oranother
rulerofthesamenamewillbediscussed
inrelation
tothe
historical
ofthisfind.
importance
23
24
The most familiarSanabares copper coin type is representedby an

example in the BritishMuseum.14The obverse shows the head of the
beardedrulerin profileleft. He is wearinga double diadem that is tied
in a bow at the back, one end pendant. His hair is divided into three
horizontalwaves, and in frontof his foreheadthereis a crescentmoon
witha star. The portraitis outlinedby an arched dotted border. The
reverse depicts the Arsacid archer; beneath his bow there is a TT,
believed to indicate the mint at Margiana. In a circle around the
BACIAE.
archer,beginningabove his head, is an inscriptionCANABAPHC
There are a numberof coins of this type in the Gettyhoard whichare
even less wornthan the one at the BritishMuseum,and the individual
strands of hair that formthe waves can still be distinguished(e.g.
38-39). It can also be seen that the kingworea torquearoundhis neck.
The inscriptionon the reverseis only incompletelypreservedin all
cases.
The obversesof38-40 are verysimilar. The roundeye is framedby a
relativelystraightupper lid and a slightlycurved lowerlid. Whether
38 and 39 had a crescentmoon and star in frontof the foreheadis not
clear. The lowerpart ofthe legendhas been preservedon the reverseof
38 [CANABAJPHC
BA[CIAE]. On 39, the last two lettersof the word
BACIAEare just recognizablebehindthe back of the archer. The next
two coins are very similar. The star and crescentmoon are preserved
clearlyon the obverse,as is the case withthe followingcoins fromthis
group. On 40, tracesof the lettersIAEare visibleon the reversebehind
the archer'sback; on 41 are C and flA,the retrogradeletterindicativeof
deterioratingstandards. Similarlyon 42, where the final C and the
word BACIAE are otherwisequite legible on the reverse.
Of the remaininggroup 7 coins, 45 is worth noting for its well
preserved obverse with the original fine lines of the portrait still
recognizable. On 46 the individualstrandsof hair formwaves that are
deeply incised. On the obverse of 47 the bow in the ribbon of the
diadem formsa trianglewith roundedangles. This contrastswiththe
preceding examples where the bow was round, insofar as it was
14Gardner
BMC, pl.23,11;Simonetta
Indo-Parthians,
1957,pl.4, 16;Mitchiner,
1154,toprow,1.
Analysis of Groups
25
preservedat all (40, 42, and 46). On the reverseofboth47 and 48 there
are traces of the word BACIAE on the left.
Group8, 49-56
Anothergroup representinga somewhatdifferent
type can also be
the individual
of
the
waves
these
coins,
assigned to Sanabares. On
layers of the hair are more pronouncedin the back,16the bow of the
diadem is triangular,the beard is trimmedsquarely,and the large eye
is framedby almond-shapedlids. The lines are coarseron the whole,a
featurethat is particularlynoticeable in the legends on the reverse
whichare onlypartiallylegible. The beginningofthe inscriptionon the
reverseof 49 is the most clearlypreserved: CANA. To the right,there
are traces of a retrogradeP.16 What seems to be the end of the word
BACIAEappears on the left;thereis an additional strokebehindthe E
that may continue at the top toward the left and the rightand is
a coarselyexecuted Y like the one preservedon 54
perhaps,therefore,
and 55. This suggeststhe word BAZIAEQZ,in which case the second
sigma is missing,forthe only sigma presentformsthe beginningof the
name Sanabares.
The obverse of 50 is very similarto that of the precedingcoin; the
reverseis, however,coarser. Of the inscriptionthere are only three
alternatingangles remaining,AVA beneath the feet of the archerand
n. At the archer'sback thereis a GondopharessymbolS. The name of
the signcomes fromGondopharesI (firsthalfof the firstcenturyA.D.)
duringwhosereignit firstappeared. It is presumablya symbolforsun
and moon.17
An exact parallelforthe reverseofthe foregoingcoin can be foundin
51, althoughit is in part less well preserved.The obverseis comparable
in layout and executionto 50, althoughthe hair is divided into four
layers. The same is true of 52 whichhas a crescentmoon and a star in
15See Dobbins,
Indo-Parthians
, 1154,toprow,center.
p. 139,4/S,andMitchiner,
16Thiscan be seenevenmoreclearlyon 54.
17Simonetta
1978,pp.158 and 186. It is also to be foundon coinsof Sasan,
oftheLaterIndo"TheDynasty
seeD. W.MacDowall,
andSarpedanes;
Satavastra,
NC 1965,p. 147.
Parthians,"
26
frontof the forehead;the reverseis also to be groupedwith50 and 51,

althoughthis coin is less well preserved. Traces of the seriesAVA are
recognizablebeneaththe feetof the archer. Coin 53 also representsthe
type with the four-layerhair style and the square beard; the letters
ANA are clearlyrecognizableat the top of the reverse. They are all on
about the same level since the archer is executed in smaller scale.
Juttingup into the open side of the TTis a pointwhichmightbelongto
the series of angles observed on 50-52 or mightindicate a different
mint,i.e., the one at Aria E.
Somewherebetweengroups7 and 8 is 54; it is veryfinelyworkedso
that it probablyshould be assignedto the earlierissues. The way the
beard fallsand the roundbow of the diadem linkit to group7, but the
hair is shownin fourlayers. The inscriptionon the reverseis preserved
onlyat the back and beneaththe feetof the archer;it is clearlyformed
but has a Y at the end as on 49 and 56. Comparablepieces are to be
foundin Petrowicz,pl. 19, 7 = Gobi 2, pl. Ill, 2286, and in Mitchiner,
Indo-Parthians
, 1154, second row, r.
Also displayingcharacteristicsof both groupsis 55. The three-layer
arrangementof the hair and the style of the beard are comparableto
group7 coins; the almond-shapedeye and the reverse,however,linkit
to the presentgroup. Traces of the inscriptionon the reversereveal a
retrogradeP; followingthe elongated H, thereis a line instead of the
expectedC. The state of the inscriptionhas thus already deteriorated
considerably.The obverseis verysimilarto that of 56. On this latter
coin, the left part of the reverse is preservedand clearly has a Y
followingthe AE of BACIAE(cf. 49). The finalsigma is turnedby 90
and is, therefore,
clearlyset offfromthe precedingletters,so is the first
letterof the name Sanabares.
Group9, 57-65 and 66
This groupof coins closelyresemblesthe precedinggroupbut it was
evidentlystrucklater since the style is even coarser. The coins have
the layered hair style typical of Sanabares, with three or fourwaves
formedby slightlywaved strandsthat lie lightlyone upon the other.
The bow of the diadem is rounded and a crescent moon is still
recognizablein frontof the foreheadsin two examples,63 and 64. The
Analysis of Groups
27
traces of the reverseinscriptionhave become even more obscure and

the meaningis no longerclear. What littlehas been preservedon the
leftside behindthe archerrepresentsthe versionwith Y followingthe
word BACIAE,but most of the latteris no longerlegible. Indeed, only
the E is completelypreservedand in some cases (e.g., 65) it has taken
on ratherlarge dimensions.On 57, above the bow of the archer(representedin verysmall scale on mostofthisgroup)thereis an N and, next
to it, traces of a second letter. This seems ratherto be a A than an A,
however. Traces of anotherletterare to be foundon the rightbetween
the bow and the mintmarkTT.These traces could, therefore,
represent
the name Sanabares. Below the n and beneath the feet of the archer
and runningupward toward the left, there is a series of angles in
opposition,comparable to those on most of group 8.
Included here is coin 66 which probably representsanother group
although it exists as a unique example here. It is very coarsely
worked. The obversehas the four-layer
hair styleand a crescentmoon
and a star can be recognizedin frontof the forehead. The reverseis
very poorly preserved, but traces of the letters BAC are still
recognizableat the bottom.
Group 10, 67-77
The coins of this group appear to belong to an even later period of
issuance. The reversescorrespondto those of the precedinggroup,
whichare already very poorlyexecuted. The obversesare even more
coarselyworkedin comparisonwith those of the precedinggroup but
have the typical three-layerhair style,usually in a shortervariation,
and a clipped beard similarto that of group 8. The crescentand star
are missing. The ruler is wearing a torque around his neck and, in
many cases, the curved necklineof his gown can be seen beneath it.
Only small details distinguishthe differentcoins of this group.
Group 11, 78-128
Group 11 is even morecoarselyworkedthan group 10. It was issued
froma differentmint, presumablyAria, since beneath the bow the
28
monogramE is to be found. Includedin this groupare coins that have

been published elsewhere.18
On the obverses,the hair style is in three layers, characteristicof
Sanabares; it is clearlyrecognizable,forinstance,on 78, 82, 83, 85, and
86. The threelayersare commonto all the coins of this group,but in
generalthe hairis onlycoarselydepicted. Thereis no crescentmoonor
star.
The reversesof all the coinsin thisgroupare verycoarselyengraved.
The bow of the archer hangs down very low on some of them, for
instance on 78-80, 94, 109, 115, and 124. In other cases, such as
96-101, the bow is decorated with two dots in the middle. The
inscriptionis illegible, and has no clear relationshipto the earlier
CANABAPHC
BACIAE.Above the bow, in frontofthe head ofthe archer,
thereis in some cases a letterformsimilarto a A (90, 95, 100, 101, 108,
109, and 117). On some of the coins,thereare traces of anotherletter
betweenthe A and the head of the archerwhichlooks like a retrograde
gamma, 1 (83, 103, 106, 111, and 112; 116 [traces]). To the rightofthis
angle,some ofthe coinshave anotherletter. It is similarto a TT,but the
horizontalline is tiltedsomewhattowardthe bottomright(90, 95, 101
and 112; 117 and 119 [traces]). Sellwood believes that this is the
Parthian letterS and that the angle at the leftis an R.19 On 109, this
letteris furtherto the rightand lower,and beneathit is a A. Thereare
two such A's, one above the otherat the right,on a numberofcoins(82,
83, 87, 89, 90, 95, 97-99, 104, 105, 115, and 117); however,thereis only
18Simonetta
Indo-Parthians
1957,pl.4, 17.22;Dobbins,
,
p. 139,5; andMitchiner,
1154,toprow,r.; 1158,toprow,center.
19Sellwood
II
theseas tracesofthenameOsroes.CoinsofSanabares
interprets
dohavecomparable
features
withthoseofSellwood
85(OsroesII), although
actually
theformer
is withdiadem,thelatterwithtiara.Worthnoting,
arethe
however,
oftheexecution,
coarseness
theunusually
in
a
small
and
the
face,
pointed
largeeye
beardindicated
moustache
(cf.
by a fewlinescoupledwitha relatively
straight
linedrawing
Sellwood's
85.2 and Plate4, 90). The doubleringrepresenting
the
neckline
is alsocomparable.
In addition
on
thereis theinclination
toinclude
pellets
thesecoins:Sellwood
85.2hasa pelletabovethebowon thereverse,
forexample,
whilethedotsin themiddleofthebowon someofthehoardcoinsarein keeping
withthis.
thetwoletters
couldalsobe readas TBandthefollowing
Alternatively,
angleon
theright
as R,providing
Thismight
indicate
perhaps
partsofthenameArtabanus.
Artabanus
IV (Sellwood89),whoalso usedParthian
legends.
Analysis of Groups
29
one A on 78, 79, 94, 100, 101, 103, 110, 111, 113, 114, 116, and 119-23.
It is not possibleto decide in these cases whethertherewas originallya
second A or whethertherewas only one; on 109, since therethe n is
drawnfurtherdown the side of the flan,thereis roomforonly one A.
Insofaras it is preserved,the same groupof lettersappears on all of
thesecoinsbeneaththe feetofthe archerat the leftofthe monogramof
the mint. The seriesruns AOI but, if it ever had any meaning,might
have been intendedto be read the otherway around,that is, fromthe
middle of the coin.
In onlya fewcases is anythingpreservedat the left,behindthe back
ofthe archer;again, the traceshave no apparentmeaning. Above the A
beneath the feetand the seat of the archer,thereis a sort of bracket
(88, 90, 94, 102, 104, 107, 113-14, 117, 118); above this, some coins
have a V (88, 90, 102, 104, 107, 112-14, 117, 118); above the V, a few
coins have a A (88, 90, 104, 112, 114, 118). This seriesmay represent
the deformedremainsof the Aramaic word MLK' or "king," Above
this on 90 are traces of a furtherletterwhichcould have been the last
letterof the name of the king.
On some coins that belongto this group,thereare othersymbolsto
the leftinstead of the precedingseries of signs. On 85 it is not clear
whetherit is the Vologases symbol2 or the GondopharessymbolS; 86
appears to bear the Vologases symbolas does 124.20The Gondophares
symbol is clearly depicted on 125 and above it there are traces of
additional letters. The letters of the legend are more clearly
recognizableon 126: above the Gondopharessymbolthereis firstthe
bracketknownfromothercoins, howeverit is turnedby 90, and the
beginningof anotherletteris visible. The mintsymbolseems to be a
simple TTin this case and beneath it, somewhatto the left,there is
anotherletterthat is similarto a squarish 0. Accordingto Sellwood,
this is a coin fromMargiana; so there must have been a coarsely
engraved set of coins issued fromthere as well. This assumptionis
supportedby a furthercoin in this group, 127. The obverse is quite
worn; one can still see that the reverse is based on a meaningful
20It is no longerpossibleto tellwhether
therewas a Vologasessymbolor a
on 123. Thesimilarity
between
thiscoin,122,andMitchiner,
comparable
symbol
Indo-Parthians
1158,bottomrow,1.,makeit seemlikelythattherewas.
30
to classifyanother
inscription,but it is no longerlegible. It is difficult
of the coins as well, 128. Since only the upper parts of the U are
preservedbeneath the bow, the mint is not clearly identifiable.The
lettersME and probablya T can be read above the archer,presumably
the remainsof the word MErAC. There is a Vologases symbolat the
back of the archer. The obversehas no knownparallelsand cannot be
morepreciselyidentifiedbecause of the degreeof wear. Worthnoting,
however,is the factthat the portraitis surroundedby a cordinsteadof
by the usual dotted border.
Group 12, 129-247
This group of coins formsthe largestpart of the findand different
stages of developmentcan be identifiedwithinit. These coins are very
closelyrelatedto examples that have been attributedto Pakores, and
Mitchiner1078, in particular,can be cited here forcomparison.21The
arrangementof the hair in a thick bunch at the side of the head is
typical of the group,althoughthe fullnessof the curlsvaries fromone
subgroup to another: in some cases it is reduced to broad waves,
especially in subgroups C and D. On the Pakores coin the double
diadem ends in a triangularbow at the back, a featurethat is also
foundon some of the Sanabares coins; it is presenton all the coins of
group12. On the Pakores coin his head is shownleftand in profile,the
upperbody is almost fullfrontand is turnedonlyveryslightlytoward
the left. There is a double torque aroundhis neck that is held together
in the frontby a square clasp, evidentlydecoratedwith pellets. This
same ornamentis foundon all the coins of group 12 wherethe lower
partsare stillpreservedon the individualissues (it is particularlyclear
on 147, 184, 185, 187, and 189 and is stillrecognizableon manyothers).
The earringon the coinsin thisgroupis also givenspecial treatment:it
is a ringwitha thickbead at the top (129, 135, 141, 144, 147, 153, 184,
185, 188, etc.). To what extent this detail is also to be foundon the
Pakores coins cannot be determinedfromthe illustrationsavailable in
the literature.Behind the head on the Pakores coin thereare tracesof
Parthian letters. Comparabletraces are lackingon the coins of group
21See also Simonetta
1978,fig.2, 9 = Dobbins,p. 139,12/PA.
Analysis of Groups
31
12 and, instead,thereis usually a crescentmoon and a star in frontof

the forehead,as is oftenfoundon Sanabares coins. On the hoard coins
129, 130, 132, 133, 143, 149, 210, and many others,they cut through
the dotted borderin all but a few instances.
In those cases wherethe surfaceis still relativelywell preserved,the
coins in group 12 give evidence of carefulexecution. Thus, on some
examples it is possible to see that the double diadem was made up of
rows of individual pellets (135, 143, 146, 149, 157, 163, etc.), and on
almost all of themit is stillapparentthat the cornersof the triangular
bow of the diadem were decorated with pellets.
Carefulworkmanshipis also evidenton some reversesin that the ends
and the cornerpointsofthe individuallettersare decoratedwitha dot.
On some especially well preservedexamples, such decorationcan be
seen on the cap of the archer,the decorationitselfvaryingon different
coins (cf. 136, 167, 172, 188, 195, 213, 217, 234, and 242 with 198, 200,
and 246). Not only the cap but otherdetails of clothingare indicated
on these coins whichspeaks forcarefulexecution- normallythe case
only for silver coins. The edge of the boot is recognizableon all of
them,forexample, and above the ankle, the boot eithergets widerat
the top or is foldedover (129, 130, 134, 141, 142, 150, 152, etc.). In one
case (205), the folds of long trouserscan be seen.
The inscriptionpresentsa special problem. No attempt has been
made up to now to read it, and it has been described as "usually
corrupt."22But the carefulworkmanshipthat is sometimesevident
and the frequencywith which the inscriptionis to be found give
substance to the assumption that the legend had a meaning. The
elementsof the legendare always in the same order. It is noteworthy
that certainparts of this inscriptionare foundin the same place as on
all the Sanabares coins fromthis find:the lij behind the back of the
archerwhichoriginallyformedpart of the word BAZIAEand an N-like
letter above the bow where on earlier Sanabares coins "Sana," the
beginningofhis name,was located. As the inscriptiondeteriorated,a Y
was often added followingthe iu at the end; at first,the Y on
Sanabares' coins had a long foot,but this later disappeared. The letter
above the uj that is on coins in group 12 is similarto this letter. Two
22Mitchiner,
Indo-Parthians
, p.777.
32
further
additionsthat regularlyappear indicatethat therewas not only
an attemptmade to give a betterappearance to an obscure,unreadable
but that a new meaningwas intended. One is an additional
inscription,
letterto the leftand below the letterabove the uj. Further,below the
lu two angles have been added which oftendifferslightlyfromone
another. They are usuallydepictedone insidethe other,as on 129, 130,
134, and 135, but theycan also followone another,as on 196, 201, and
202. Even if it is possible to see in one of them a turnedA fromthe
originalword BAZIAE,it is not possibleto explain the second angle in
the same manner. This seems to speak more forthe fact that letters
which had deterioratedto the point of illegibilitywere given a new
meaning,forwhichit was necessaryto leave out superfluouspartsand
add new ones.
From those coins on which the right side of the reverse is still
preserved(131, 151, 162, 165, 168-73, 177, etc.), we can see that no
furtherinscriptionwas plannednext to the bow and the symbolforthe
mint. Above the bow, which is as a rule very small, thereis a letter
that lookslike an elongatedN, the rightverticalstrokeofwhichis very
slightlycurved(155, 172, 177, 217-19, 230, and many otherson which
issues
onlypart ofthe letteris preserved). In the courseofthe different
thereis a certaindeteriorationto be noticed,and the lettersometimes
appears to have been divided into two parts (e.g., 198 and 200). The
main part ofthe inscriptionis located on the leftside at the back ofthe
archer. It is always the same and thereare onlyveryslightvariations
in detail. Beneath the feetof the archerand below the symbolof the
mint,there is a series of signs to which we will returnbelow.
Thus, the onlyunchangingseriesof signson all the coins in group12
is the one at the back of the archer and above his bow. There are
parallelsforthe formofthe lettersin Aramaicscriptand its derivative,
Parthian,both ofwhichare read fromrightto left. Since no inscription
was intendedon the rightside of the coin, it must have begun above
the bow and run fromthereto the left,behindthe bac of the archer.
RTLBA. TransThus, we can establish an unchangingseries,
this
indicates
Abarshahr.23
ABLTR,
posed,
28Another
letteras a G; theword
wouldbe to readthepenultimate
possibility
in Manichaen
wouldthenreadabaragr.Thegris thePahlaviglas transmitted
Analysis of Groups
33
This word is not unknown. For instance,the religiousfounderMani

and Merv since Mr Amm
sent his pupil Mr Amm to Abarshahr24
of
knewParthian(pahlawnig). The land Abarshahris also mentioned
in the inscriptionof the Sasanian King Shapur I on the Ka'ba-yi
Zardusht at Naqsh-i Rustam near Persepolis.26 In line 55 there is
mentionof a ruleramong those who lived underKing Ardashirwho is
from' Agrjvax(Greek); '[pljynk (Middle Persian); 'prynk(Parthian).26
M. Sprenglinghas interpretedthis as the land of the Aparnians
(Aparnia)27as has J. Markwart.28W. Eilers combines two of the
possible interpretationsof "Apar-ahr": 1) "Oberland, Hochland,"
and 2) "Land der Aparner," and describes the Aparnians as
highlanders.29Furthermore,al-Tabari, an Arab historianof the early
tenth century,reports that Ardashir,the founderof the Sasanian
kingdom,undertooka campaign in the east, to Abarshahr,Merv,
Balkh, and Khwarezm,to the far-lyingbordersof Khorasan and he
returnedto Mervfromthere.30All ofthesereferences
make it clearthat
thatis,neo-Persian
ror"lion,"a frequent
ofnames,
as inthe
writings,
component
nameArdashir.
Thiswouldthenrepresent
thethrone
nameoftherulerinthisarea,
the"lionofthehighlands"
orthe"lionoftheAparnians"
as hewouldhavecalled
herethere
isa parallel
withthefounder
oftheArsacid
whowasthe
himself;
kingdom
leaderoftheDahaeanParnians.
24W.B. Henning,
derOrientalistik
Handbuch
, vol.1,pt.4 (1958),p.94. In the
version
cited
there
it
is
written
Sogdian
'rS'r.
25Thisis a trilingual
The MiddlePersianportion
was discovered
inscription.
before
theParthian
andGreekportions
wereandwasinitially
published
byW.B.
"TheGreatInscription
ofprI," BSOAS 9 (1937-39),
Henning,
pp.823-49.For
middle
Persian'prtr-y
andParthian
seeHenning,
BSOAS 12(1947),p.53,
'prhtr,
and14 (1952),p.512,n.6. A. Maricq,"Res GestaeDiviSaporis,"Syria35 (1958),
in theearliertranslations.
pp.295-360,triedto resolvesomeofthedisparities
26Maricq,
ActaIranica8
Staatsinschriften,"
p.323. M.Back,"Die sassanidischen
(1978),p.349.
27"Shahpuhr
Journal
I, theGreat,ontheKaabahofZoroaster
(KZ)," American
andLiteratures
57 (1940),p.399.
ofSemitic
Languages
28"A Catalogue
oftheProvincial
Analecta
Orientalia
3
Capitalsofrnshahr,"
52.
(1931),p.
29"Der NameDemawend,"
Archiv
22 (1954),p.373.
Orientln
30TheodorNoeldeke,trans.,Geschichte
der Perserand Araberzur Zeit der
Sasaniden
(Leyden,1879),p. 17.
34
Abarshahrmust lie in the area fromwhich the coins in the Getty

Museumcollectioncame. The capital of a provinceoftenhad the same
name as the provinceitself(e.g., Margiana,Aria). This would also have
been the case withAbarshahr.There was a mintthereduringthe time
of the Sasanians, and many coins from it are known. In Pahlavi
fromthislaterperiod,the wordis usuallywritten'prhtror
inscriptions
abbreviated to APR or AP, sometimeseven AB. The spellingABL is
used on the coins in group 12, thus givingpreferenceto the spelling
with B; this can be attributedprimarilyto the fact that, as discussed
above, parts of an earlier inscriptionwere reused. In addition, the
monogramA, located beneath the archer'sbow, also apparentlyrefers
to the mint at Abarshahr.31
It is clear,therefore,
that the coins in group 12 are on the one hand
related
to
a
closely
groupthat can be attributedto Pakores and on the
otherthat they exhibitmany details foundon the coins of Sanabares.
Elements of the Greek legend which had completelydeterioratedand
could no longerbe read were altered and given new meaning- they
werechangedto Parthianlettersand formedcompletewords. As faras
theirchronologicalclassificationis concerned,the coins in this group
must followthose of Pakores' and Sanabares' early issues. Whether
they were struck during the reign of Sanabares or not is unclear.
Perhapstheyare ratherto be attributedto one of Sanabares' successors
in the latterhalfof the second centuryA.D., who took some troubleto
see that the coins of his predecessor,whichhad become barbarizedin
the courseof time,werereplacedby coins of a higherquality,and who
consciouslydrewupon a groupof coins issued by Pakores in doingso.
SubgroupA, 129-84
The coins in group 12 are all very similar,and thereare only slight
distinctionsbetweenthe different
issues. In particular,the hair style
some
in
the
course of time. From underneaththe
undergoes
change
31The attribution
of Sellwood(p. 13),whoseesin thisthesymbol
forMithrathecitadelofNisa,mustbe revisedaccordingly.
The earliestcoinfrom
datkart,
withtheletters
is oneofPhraatesII, Mitchiner,
Ancient
World
Abarshahr,
ATTA,
,
p. 110,499.
Analysis of Groups
35
diadem emerge four waved strands of hair that end in a relatively

round knot of small curls. The beard on the chin is formedof four
slightlywaved strands; above it, there is a moustache that curves
downward.Three strandsindicatethe beard on the cheeks;on coins of
one variant,this part ofthe beard is made up of fourstrands(131, 181,
183, and 184).
The reverseon all these coins bears a clear impressionof the legend
discussedabove. Only 152 varies fromthis commonpattern:the L is
positionedso low that it is practicallyon a line withthe . The archer's
bow is very small. The symbol for the mint, insofaras it is still
Abarshahr. Sellwood regardsthe small o beneath
decipherable,is
the symbolas part ofthe signforthe mint;32but it appears ratherto be
part of the seriesof lettersthat followto the leftof the mintsymbol.
This latterinterpretation
is supportedby the factthat the o is missing
on other coins that are very similarin design (subgroup E), or it is
replacedby anotherletter(subgroupF). On the A coins thereare two
signsto the leftofthe o; theylook like Greeklettersthat are to be read
fromthe middle of the coin, A and A. These two symbols could be
interpretedas a number,34, although it is not clear to what this
numberwould then refer.
SubgroupB, 185-95
Anothervariantis very carefullyexecuted. The reversecorresponds
for the most part to the coins examined so far, but it is somewhat
coarser. The seriesof signsbeneath the feetof the archercorresponds
to that in the precedingsubgroup. The portraitson the obverse are
smallerand the hair is not quite as full,thus givingthe impressionof
being somewhat elongated. One coin, 195, is particularlycoarse in
workmanshipand the only sign in frontof the foreheadis a crescent
moon whichcuts throughthe dotted border. This is in contrastto the
other coins in this group which also have a star. The hair is only
coarsely detailed.
32Sellwood,
p. 13.
36

SubgroupC, 196-209
The tendencytowardcoarserexecutiongrowsstrongerin succeeding

issues. The depictionof individualcurlsin the hair gives way to broad
waves that are somewhatfullerat the bottom. On a numberof coins
(201-7), the hair is dividedinto severalpairs of curvedlinestowardthe
leftand the rightfromthe center. The workmanshipof the reverseis
verycoarse. Insofaras his headgearis recognizableat all, the archeris
now wearing a short round cap without the top piece above the
foreheador the piece downthe back of the neck,as is commonlyfound
on the othercoinsofgroup12. The main difference
in the legendis that
the last two lettersare no longerplaced one inside the otherbut are
consecutive.The seriesof symbolsbeneaththe feetof the archeris the
same, althoughit is somewhat coarser and more irregular.
SubgroupD, 210-12
The profileon the obverseof this subgroupis closelyrelatedto that
on the precedingsubgroups,althoughthe hair hangs down in shallow,
broad waves. The crescent moon and star cut throughthe dotted
borderas well,and the earringis open at the bottomcenter. The cap of
the archeron the reverseis long in the back, and the last lettersof the
legendare separated. The two lettersbeneaththe feetofthe archerare
the same as on the precedingcoins.
SubgroupE, 213-42
The most noticeable particularityon the obverse of this subgroup
that the moustache is turned up at the ends instead of down as
previouslywas the case. The beard is trimmedsquarelyunderthe chin,
and the hair fallsin shallowwaves in a pear shape. The crescentmoon
and starseem not to have been depictedat all. Instead ofthe necklace,
the only detail that is recognizableat the neck is a double neckline.
On the reverse,the archeris wearingthe typicalcap and is holdinga
very small bow. The last two lettersof the legend are separated, in
some cases the finalletteris positionedso low that it appears to be on
the same line as the two symbolsbeneaththe feetofthe archer,a series
that is the same on all the coins of the main group (see in particular
Analysis of Groups
37
219, 223, 226, 232, and 233). There is no o beneath the mintsymbol;
instead, the A is oftenmoved furtherto the rightso that the point
projects into the TT(227, 231, 232, 235, 236, and 240).
Included in this subgroupis 242, the reverseof whichis exactly like
those already described. The obverse with the turnedup moustache,
the trimmedbeard and the roundnecklineis also comparable,but the
hair stylewithits steppedwaves is morelike that on Sanabares' coins.
SubgroupF, 243-47
Five coinsin group 12 bear the mintmark and, followingSellwood,
werestruckin Traxiana.33The obverseis verysimilarto that on coins
in subgroupA, but the strandsin the knotof hair are morecrisplyand
closely curled. The reverse of coin 243 is, as far as it is still
recognizable,like the somewhatcoarserreverseof subgroupC, the last
two lettersin back of the archer are in both cases consecutive. The
series of angles still preserved beneath the feet of the archer is
comparableto that on coins in the main groupthat have already been
discussed. On coins 244 and 245, other lettershave been added to
the right:245, I; 244, I D. These may be traces of the word BAIIAE,
to the left
althoughon coinsof Sanabares thisinscriptionbegan further
and thenran upwardbehindthe back ofthe archer. Two coins,245 and
246, have an angle behindthe head of the archer. Above that thereis
another letter,rather like a P tipped toward the right,perhaps an
Aramaic qf. Whetherthese are traces of another name cannot be
determined,giventhe factthat thereis so littlepreserved.There seem
to have been otherlettersor symbolson the extremeleftedge of both
coins. The shortcap ofthe archeron 246 is reminiscentof subgroupC.
Also classifiedwiththisgroupis 247. Its obverseis in bad condition,
but the rightpartofthe reverseis clearand the mintmarkis crisp. The
seriesof lettersthat beginsabove the bow of the archerrecallsthose of
group11. Beneath the A at the side thereis anotherletterbut it can no
longerbe identified.
38Sellwood,
p. 13.
38

Group6, 31-37
One group of coins is very closely related to coins of Vologases I,

51-78 A.D. Comparablepieces are Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians
, 654-56,
and Sellwood, 70.13 and 71, especiallyin the treatmentof the beard
and the earring. The hair on group 6 coins, however,is divided into
onlythreelayers. This is usual forcoins of Sanabares but not forthose
of Vologases I, on whose coins there are usually five. The Vologases
symbol 2 is on the reverseat the back of the archer.34There is a n
beneath the bow on each coin, indicatingthe mintat Margiana. The
word BACIACseemsto have appeared at both the top and the bottom
ofthe coin,the lettersforminga circle. This orthography,
in whichthe
2 is replaced by ui, has parallels on coins of Vologases I.36
The most carefullyengravedcoin in this group is 31. The beard is
definedby slightlywavy lines while it is representedonly by straight
strokes on other coins. The letters CIAC can be recognizedat the
bottomof the reversebut traces of otherletterscannot be deciphered.
The lettersCIAC are also to be foundat the bottomof32, althoughthe
engravingis coarser. On the obversethereare traces on the forehead
that were part of a crescentmoon. Closelyrelatedto this is 33, which
bears traces of CIA above the bow on the reverseand to the right
CV(?). Also verysimilaris 34, withtracesof IAC at the bottom,and 35
bears CIA above the bow. Coin 36 is very coarse in executionand the
traces of the legend on the reverseare illegible.
On the basis of style,37 is part of this group, althoughthe king's
cheek is clean shaven and the earringis thereforefurtherforward,
exactly as on Vologases' coins. There is no Vologases symbolon the
reverse,however. The word BACIAbegan at the left,behindthe head
of the archer;and A is clearlyrecognizableprecedingthis and further
downthereare tracesof otherletters. If the name ofthe kingpreceded
the word BACIAE as the parallels suggest,the name will have ended
with an A; however,no such royal name is known forthis area. In
34Vologases
from
theAchaemenids
whousedit frequently:
adoptedthissymbol
HillBMC, PersianEmpire,15,27, 50, 122,and 163.
36Sellwood70.10and 71.1.
Analysis of Groups
39
addition,if BACIAEappeared on this coin twice,therewas onlyenough

space for a very short name or for an abbreviation.
The coins in this group thus combine featuresof Sanabares' coins
with featuresof the coins of Vologases I, and especiallythe Vologases
symbol. These may be coins of VologassIII, ca. 105-47.36
Group5, 22-30
Classificationof this group of coins is very difficult.They are very
worn,perhapsbecause theywerein circulationlongerthan mostof the
coins consideredthus far, the coins which have been attributedto
Sanabares II and his successor. If so, they must have been struck
beforethe reign of Sanabares.
No consensus has been reached yet regardingthe attributionand
datingof these coins. Beside beingstylisticallysimilar,theyall have a
TTmintmarkon the reverse. W. Wrothascribestwo coins of this style
to Gotarzes,37and K. W. Dobbins inclines toward GotarzesII.38
Mitchiner,however,regards this style as that of Sanabares II.39 A
comparisonof such coins with those fromthe hoard seems to argue
againstthe earlierattributions.Some details,in fact,seem to speak for
attributingthe coins to Vardanes I. For example, the obverse can be
comparedwithMitchiner648,40especiallywiththe thirdone in the top
row. Sellwood 64.37 also seems to be a coin of this group,particularly
when his legends ii and iii are considered.
Because of their worn condition,fine detail is not recognizableon
thesecoins. The figurein the portraiton the obversehas a hair styleof
several layers, usually three, which evidently caused Mitchinerto
attributethese coins to Sanabares II. The star and crescentmoon in
frontof the foreheadof the rulerdo not cut throughthe dottedborder.
The star on thesecoinsis always made up of serveraidots,usuallyfive,
sometimessix, which are grouped around one dot in the center (5:
36Cf.Sellwood78.12,wherea fragmentary
legendis mentioned.
37WrothBMC 55 (pl.27, 7) and 56.
38Dobbins,p. 138.
39Indo-Parthians
1154,secondrow,center.
40M.Mitchiner,
andIndo-Scythian
Indo-Greek
, vol.5, Establishment
ofthe
Coinage
in
and
Pakistan
Scythians Afghanistan
(London,1975).
40
22-25, 28; 6: 26, 27, 29, and 30). This partialityto the use of dots is
also to be observedon the reversewherethe feetof the TT,the symbol
forthe mint,always end in a thick dot, a featurethat is also to be
observed on the coins of Vardanes I as illustratedby Mitchiner648.
The legends on drachms of Vardanes I are quite barbarized, as is
evident in Sellwood 64 legends ii and iii. On the hoard coins there
seemsto have been only one row of lettersaround the edge, beginning
to the rightof the archer'shead withAnffi,
the thirdletterpresumably
an E, so that the seriesis to be read as ATTE.A cleanlyrepresented
stands out on the rightside; it is followedby a V. The preceding,
uppermostletteris not clear. While thereseemsto be an I on coin 55 in
the British Museum, which would suggest the name of the month
- the two lettersAA would thus have been lost at the turn
ATTEAAIOY
fromthe horizontalto the verticalaxis - the letterin questionon the
coins in the hoard ends at the bottom in an arch to the rightand
thereforelooks more like a C or a B. Beneath the archer'sbow, a A
projectsup into the large TT,the two togetherinterpretedby Sellwood
as the symbolforthe mintat Aria.41But it ratherlooks like a V which
should be read fromthe middle of the coin togetherwith the letters
that followon the leftOC, and anotherletterthat can no longerbe
identified.The mint at Margiana would then be the logical choice,
given the position and size of the dominantTT.
Traces of a Vologases symbol are clearly recognizablebehind the
backrest of the archer's seat on 23. These traces are less clearly
discernibleon 22. The symbol is also to be found on other coins of
Vardanes I, e.g., on dichalkoi.42Therefore,severalfactorssuggestthat
these coins can be attributedto that ruler,a littlebeforethe middleof
the firstcenturyA.D., an attributionalso supportedby the state of
ofthe coinsin the find
preservationofthesecoinswithinthe framework
as a whole.
Group3, 12-17
A furthergroup of coins is very worn and bears witnessto the fact
that the coins musthave been in circulationforsome time. The details
41Sellwood64.37.
42Sellwood
64.39(fromMithradatkart).
Analysis of Groups
41
are obscureand so classificationis very difficult.Amongthese coins,

however,thereis one (12) that correspondsto Sellwood 62.12 and can
thereforebe attributedto ArtabanusII. To the left of the obverse
portraitthe Nike whosearmsare raisedto crownthe kingis stillreadily
recognizable,whilethe one that should be behindthe ruler'shead wasoffflan. Of the legendson the reverse,the ACIAEat the top and CIAE
plus the beginningof anotherletterat the bottomare still legible,in
the word BAIIAE; on the rightside, runningfrom
each case, therefore,
there
are the lettersAPTA,the beginningof the name
bottomto top,
Artabanus. Its mint symbol is also TT.
Several other coins in the find can be grouped with the example
mentionedabove. They are similarlywornand may have been struck
about the same time. Other parallels can be establishedas well; 13,
e.g., has a hair style and beard comparable to those on 12, but the
portrait is smaller and more of the neck and torso can be seen.
Perceptibletraces of the Nikes crowningthe rulercan still be seen to
the rightand left of the head. The reversebears a legend with the
lettersin the same order,but it is poorlypreserved.The figureof the
archeris sunk down into itselfso that his head is beneath the upper
edge of the bow; above his head the lettersBACIA are recognizable,
beneath the archerthe lettersBAC are just barely legible; the mint
markis 11. On the left,behindthe archer'sbackrest,thereare tracesof
three more letters,probably OY and one other.
Ofthe same typebut even morewornis 14. The lettersBCI can just
barelybe identifiedon the reverseat the bottom. Also in this groupis
15; tracesofthe Nike behindthe head are preservedon the obverse,the
legend on the reverseis worn beyond recognition. On 16 the Nike
behindthe head is stillrecognizable,whilethe individuallettersof the
legendon the reverseare legiblebut make no sense. The legendappears
to have degeneratedeven furtherfromthe state on the preceding
coins,suggestingthat the issue was froma somewhatlater date. These
observationsalso apply to 17. Again there are traces of the Nikes
preservedto the left and right of the head on the obverse; on the
but the contextis unclear.
reverse,individuallettersare stillidentifiable
fromtop to bottom.
OYCIO
to
read
seems
the
The series on
right
difficultto attribute
it
is
Since these coins are so poorly preserved
them to a ruler,especially since material for comparisonis lacking.
42
K. W. Dobbins, who illustratesa coin fromthis group, is unable to

decide betweenVardanes I and GotarzesII.43 Mitchiner,on the other
hand, regardscomparable coins as imitationsfromthe late second or
even the thirdcentury.44As betterpreservedand morenumerouscoins
fromthe mint in Susa show, a correspondingtreatmentof hair and
beard is to be foundon coins of ArtabanusII as well as of Vardanes I.
The closest parallels are Le Rider, plates 19 and 20, 224-26. In some
cases the strandsof hair run downwarddiagonallytowardthe right,as
on the coins in this find(especiallyhis 225.1 and 226.6; cf. 14 and 15
here). This hairstyleseemsto be typicalin particularforArtabanusII,
whileon coins of Vardanes I the strandsare moreoftenslightlycurved
(cf. Le Rider 228-33). Coin 248 fromSusa belongs to this group,for
example.
One of the coins can be ascribedwith certaintyto Artabanus II (12
= Sellwood 62.12). The followingcoins have the characteristichair
style,the Nikes are similarto thoseon othercoins ofArtabanusII, and
the coins are in the same state of preservation,all suggestingthat the
group was struckunder ArtabanusII and the coins are thereforenot
later imitations. All the coins in this group bear the mint symbolTT,
presumablyfor Margiana.
Group4, 18-21
A group of fourfurthercoins in the find (18-21) followsthe coins
examinedabove. They are similarlyworn,whichin itselfsuggeststhat
theywere issued at moreor less the same time. Insofaras the state of
preservationpermitscomparisons,theyseemto correspondto Sellwood
63.16, but thereare no illustrationsof examples in Sellwood. Characteristicfeaturesare stillthe square-cutbeard and hair that is depicted
in almostverticallines. A noticeablefeatureis the large double bow of
the diadem projectingto the right. These characteristicsare also to be
foundon coins of GotarzesII45and ArtabanusIII,46 as is also indicated
by Sellwood. In contrast,the star above the crescentin frontof the
43Dobbins,7.
44Type1157(firsttwocoins).
45Sellwood
65 and 66.
46Sellwood74.
Analysis of Groups
43
foreheadof the king is to be foundamong comparable coins only on

those of ArtabanusII.47 The fourcoins in this groupare probablyalso
attributableto ArtabanusII. A furthercommoncharacteristicis the
legendon the reverseof 20 whichformsa close parallel to that on 17,
althoughthe degenerationof the lettersin the presentgroup is more
advanced. BACI can be discernedwithsome effortabove the archeron
19; on the right,perhaps the series APTA was originallydepicted.
A relative chronologyforthe coins of ArtabanusII in this findcan
thus be establishedon the basis of the above observations:it begins
with 12 (correspondingto Sellwood 62.12), continueswith 13-17, and
closes with 18-21.48
Group2, 8-11
Anothergroupof coins in this findis even morewornthan the coins
ofArtabanusII. None ofthe detailsthat would permita certainclassificationof the coins is preserved. The still recognizableformsof the
portrait,however, exhibit certain characteristicsthat enable us to
narrowdown the circle of possible rulersconsiderably. The beard is
pointedand the hair style has an unusual triangularformand stands
out at the back. This styleis to be foundforthe firsttime on coins of
OrodesII,49and thenon coins ofhis son, Phraates IV,50whoseown son,
Phraataces, adopts it as well.51On the Phraataces coins thereis often
anotherdetail also: to the rightand leftof the portraithead thereare
two Nikes crowningthe king.62Examining the hoard coins carefully
with this detail in mind,on 8-10 thereare traces of these Nikes and
thus they can be attributedto King Phraataces.
47Cf.theillustration,
Sellwood63.12.
48Thecoinillustrated
inMitchiner,
Indo-Parthians
also
1160,bottom
row,center,
to thelategroup.
belongs
49Sellwood
48.9and 48.10.
60Sellwood
no
50.15,51.44,52.10ff.,esp.52.39(ofwhichthereis unfortunately
and 54.7ff.,and Mitchiner,
644.
Indo-Parthians
illustration)
61Sellwood
andMitchiner,
Indo56.6,56.13,and57.13,esp.14 (noillustration),
Parthians
645.
62Sellwood57.13,57.14,and 58.9(limiting
theselection
to thedrachms).
44
Group 1, 1-7
A groupof several coins that is even morepoorlypreservedexhibits
the characteristichair styleof group2, in so faras it can be discerned,
in an even moreexaggeratedform.The firstof these can mostreadily
be compared with coins of Phraates IV, Sellwood 54.9,53 2-7 with
Sellwood 56.13 (= Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians
, 645, a coin of Phraathus
be
can
classified
taces). They
chronologicallywith the coins
discussed above.
The next two, 6 and 7, are distinctfromthe othersin that theywere
struckat anothermint. There is a large T beneath the archer'sbow,
which could indicate Traxiana. This letter, however, is cited in
Sellwood 52.25, Phraates IV, whichhe assignsto Susa on the basis of
the symbolabove the bow. Whetherthis symbolwas also presenton
the hoard coins can no longerbe determined.64On 6 at least there
seems to have been a series of lettersabove the bow.
Group 14, 249-66
One small,distinctgroupof coins in the Gettyfinddiffersfullyfrom
all the othercoins. It comesfroma completelydifferent
area, Elymais,
and the coins werestruckin Susa. Since findsin this area are farmore
numerousthan in the eastern provinces,it is possible to establish a
tighterrelative chronology;but there is still, unfortunately,great
uncertaintywith regardto the precisedating of these coins. While in
earliernumismaticliteratureattemptswere made to assignthese coins
to individualrulers,morerecentliteratureis far morereservedin this
respect.65Le Rider concludes that in about 75 A.D. the Elymaean
capital was moved fromSeleucia to Susa and that this is to be seen in
connectionwith the opening of a new mint there.66Thus, all of the
small copper coins of group 14 must have been struckafterthis time.
Subgroup A is anomalous and will be discussed later.
53Thisis similar
to hisdescription
of52.39,ofwhichthereis unfortunately
no
illustration.
64Indeed,it is notyetclearwhichmintRSrepresents.
56In particular
thedetailedtreatment
in "Monnaies
desroisElymade"
andLe
Rider.
56Le Rider,p.429.
Analysis of Groups
45
SubgroupB, 250-52
Coins250-52 are representative
of a typethat has been attributedby
Aliottede la Fue to Orodes III.57 G. F. Hill concursin this opinion.68
A kingin profileleftis on the obverseof 250. There is a double diadem
around his foreheadabove which thereis a large knot of hair. Three
rowsof curlsare arrangedin a wave backwardwheretheyforma loose
bunch at the back of the neck. The ruler'sbeard is pointed,thereis a
torque aroundhis neck. On the leftside thereis a legendreadingfrom
top to bottombetweenthe profileand the surroundingdotted border.
The letterscan be regardedas eitherAramaic or Parthian,3IX 2-I.59
This legend can be read as WRWD MLK('), "King Orodes." Orodes
was the mostfrequentname amongthe Elymaean kingsofthe firstand
secondcenturiesA.D.60 Since it is so commona name,it is not possible
to attributethe coin to one particularkingwithoutfurtheridentifying
marks,especially since it is not even known how many kings of this
name there were.
The reversecarriesthe bust of a woman. While the upper body is
shown frontally,the head is turned left and shown in profile. The
surfaceis veryworn. There is a wavy line leadingfromthe back of the
head; it was originallymade up of individualdots and ended in three
bands. It can no longerbe determinedwhetherthisrepresenteda braid
or,forexample,the ends ofa diadem decoratedwithbeads. On the left
edge small traces of a legendare identifiable.61
Presumablyit was the
same legend as is completelypreservedon 251 which, with 252, is
in
comparableto the coinjust examined,but thereare small differences
detail.62
The obversesof 251 and 252 again show the kingin profileleft. The
bunchofhair on the top ofhis head is somewhatnarrowerthan on 250;
57"Les Monnaies
de la
de l'Elymade,"
RN 1919,pl.2, 22; p.82,typea; Aliotte
Fue,pl.14, 162-68.
58Hill BMC, typeB f; pl.42,5.
69See also W.B. Henning,
Asia Major2 (1952),p. 166,n.1.
60Henning,
p. 167;Le Rider,p.429,nn.1 and 2.
61Thiscoinis mostcomparable
to Aliottede la Fue164.
62Comparable
de la Fue,RN 1919,
de la Fue167-68;Aliotte
piecesareAliotte
desroisd'Elymade,"
pl.2, 186(the
pl.2, 23; HillBMC, pl.42,6; and "Monnaies
with183to theleft).
ofthiscoinhas beenconfused
in theillustrations
reverse
46
behind this there are two thin, parallel arched-linesto be seen,

probablythe bow of the diadem. On 251, the hair in the back is first
taken togetherclose to the head and then roundsout in a bunch. The
beard is dotted and ends in a point. To the leftof the head on 252 an
anchor is clearlyrecognizable;it was presumablypresenton 251 but
has been worn off. The anchor was a Seleucid symbol63that was
sign,as can be
adopted by the Elymaean kingsand became a preferred
seen fromother coins in this find.
A bust of a woman is depictedon the reverse,similarto that on 250.
The upper body is not, however,shownfrontallybut in three-quarter
view toward the left. The robe is gathered,the top of the upper arm
can be seen. There is a torque around her neck. The head is covered
with shortcurls fromwhicha braid-likeformat the back of the head
stands out. To the left of the portraitthere is a legend with rather
unusual letterswhichreads fromtop to bottom. There are onlytraces
of this legend still preservedon 252, but on 251 it is preservedquite
clearly. These are Aramaic letters in a form that is common for
Elymais:64jvol) WLP'N or "Ulfan." This must thereforehave been
the name of the queen, the wifeof this certainOrodes. It is one of the
rare cases in whicha queen is depictedand even named on the reverse
of a coin. The only otherexamples in the realm of Parthian coins are
those of Phraataces,whichbear a portraitof his motherMusa who was
also his wife.66The othercoins ofthe Elymaean kingshave an image of
a divinityon the reverse.66
SubgroupC, 253-57
The obverse portraitsof subgroupC are similarto those described
above, see particularly253, althoughthe bunch of hair at the back of
the neck is smaller. There is also less hair on the top of the head above
the double diadem,just one rowofcurls,and onlya small bunchofhair
83Aliottede la Fue,p.204.
64Cf.,e.g.,theinscriptions
Asia Major2 (1952),
of Tang-eSarvak:Henning,
168.
of
list
164
and
151-68,
p.
signs,
esp.
p.
pp.
65See,e.g.,Sellwood
58.
66It shouldbenoted,
on
as 0EAor"goddess"
thatMusais alsodescribed
however,
thecoins.
Analysis of Groups
47
above the forehead.The bow of the diadem stands way out above the
bunch of hair at the back of the neck (254-57). The beard is dottedon
the cheeks,and two furtherrows of dots run downward. An anchoris
clearly recognizable behind the head on 257. Whether the traces
behindthe heads on otherpieces in this groupcan also be identifiedas
anchors(see particularly254) can not be determined,given the poor
state of preservation. The robe, the edge of which is still partly
recognizableon the neck,is gatheredin a special way. The edge curves
around the neck; leading away fromthis curve is a line straightdown
somewhatto the leftof the leftupper arm,67and a furtherline curves
lightlyaround the leftupper arm. Furtherfoldsliven up the robe in
the areas between.
The reverseshave a standingArtemis. This represenationgoes back
to a late classical type,the VersaillesArtemis. The same type is to be
foundon coinsofMithradatesII, ca. 124/3-90,fromthe mintin Susa.68
The figure is moving toward her left, holding her bow in her
outstretchedlefthand and pullingan arrowout of the quiver on her
back withher righthand. On the coins,she is lookingin the direction
in whichshe is moving. On 253 and 255 the figureis representedin full
view, on 254, whichis smaller,the head and the feetare cut off. Coins
of the statue, the legs having
256 and 257 show about three-fourths
been cut offbelow the hem of the shortgown. This allows the upper
part of the figure to be depicted in somewhat larger scale, and
Artemis's headdress is thereforemore clearly recognizable. She is
wearinga crownthat stands farout over the foreheadand the back of
the neck and ends in both places in a round,volute-likeform.Between
these forms,stalks stand upward like rays, each of them endingin a
pellet (see also 255). It has been conjecturedthat this headdressis to
be regardedas a reminiscenceof the goddess Nana/Anahitawho was
greatlyveneratedin Elymais.69 She mergedwith the Greek goddess,
Artemis,and her main temple stood in Azara.
67Thisis mostclearly
oftheother
on256and257,sincethefullness
recognizable
in
from
theothers
Alsothesetwocoinsdiffer
foldshasnotbeenrepresented.
slightly
thegroupin regardto hairstyle.
68Le Rider,pl.15, 147.
89Aliottede la Fue,p. 196.
48

SubgroupD, 258-59
The crown described above is readily recognizable on coins that

already belong to a furthersubgroupwhich is, however,more poorly
preserved(258 and 259). On thesecoins onlythe head ofthe goddessis
ofthe crownpossible. It
shown,makinga moredetailedrepresentation
consistsof two rowsof stalks,one row about halfthe size of the other,
each of the stalks endingin a pellet. The goddess is also wearingan
earringfromwhicha pellet or bead is suspended. There is an anchor
behindher head. Accordingto Pliny, therewas an Artemistemplein
Susa whichwas the mosthighlyreveredtemplein the whole area.70 It
is thereforeunderstandablethat the image of Artemiswas a preferred
subject for coins.
The obverseagain showsa kingin profileleft. The double diademhas
a bow at the back fromwhichthereare two bands pendant. Thereis a
thickknot of hair on top of the head, the back of the neck is cleanly
no longer
shaven. The beard is badly wornon both coins and therefore
with the
on
258
of
a
robe
can
be
seen
describable.
The
edge
clearly
same characteristiclines as in subgroupC, one line around the neck,
and one leading straightdown fromthe necklinein frontof the left
shoulder. On this coin thereis also a legendon the leftin frontof the
WRWD MLK', "King Orodes." Thus, thereis
king's head: >=,3170171,
whose portraitdiffersfromthe othersin the
a
of
this
name
again king
hair style. These coins are generallyattributedto Orodes IV.71
SubgroupE, 260-61
Two othercoins (260 and 261) are very similarto the previoustype
and also showthe kingwitha cleanlyshaven neck. Thereis no knotof
hairon the top ofthe head, however,onlya rowof curls. The beard on
the chinhangsdown in two long rowsof curls. The robe is characteristicallygathered- it is cleareron 260 than on any of the othercoins.
Neitherlegendnorattributesare present.Because ofthe unusual short
70Aliottede la Fue,p. 194.
71Aliotte
de la Fue,pl.14,171;Aliottede la Fue,RN 1919,pl.2, 28 and29;
"Monnaies
desroisd'Elymade,"
pl.2, 187-88;pl.14,175;HillBMC>B g 1, and
Ancient
World
, p. 125,720.
pl.42, 8; Gobi2, pl.101,2077;Mitchiner,
Analysis of Groups
49
hairand the shaven neck- featureswhichare not to be foundon other

coins- it can be assumedthat theseare coins ofthe same Orodesas in
subgroupD. On the reversethere is a full-lengthimage of Artemis,
comparableto that in subgroupC. Traces of the rayed crownare to be
found on both coins. On 260 Artemis'shead is inclinedto her left.
SubgroupF, 262-66
A furthergroupof Elymaean coins in the findat the GettyMuseum
stands out because it has a frontalportraitof the king. This is quite
unusual and appears only very rarely on Parthian coins.72A. de la
Fue attributesthese coins to Orodes III (cf. subgroupB).73 Le Rider
compares them with coins of Vologases V, which are indeed very
similar,and thus arrives at a basis for dating them to around 200
A.D.74 The kinghas a smallknotofhairabove the double diadem,with
small knots to the rightand left coveringhis ears. The bow of the
diadem is to the right of the coin; the pendant ends emerge from
beneaththe rightknotof hair. The kinghas a curvedmoustacheand a
chin beard that hangs down in two rows of curls.
The reversedesignis similarto that of subgroupD, 258. It showsthe
head of the goddess Artemiswith the unusual rayed crownbut is, on
the whole,morecoarselyrendered.The hair is formedof littlebulging
curls. There appears to have been some kind of necklacewithpendant
beads around the neck. There is an anchorbehindthe head; it can be
seen in fullon 262 and 265; thereare only traces lefton 263, 264, and
266.
SubgroupA, 249
One singleElymaean coin in the finddiffersconsiderablyfromthose
examined up to now. The portraitof the king is relativelysmall. A
72Duringthefirstcentury
to
B.C. on coinsthatare perhapsto be attributed
Darius(Sellwood35), thene.g., on coinsof ArtabanusII (Sellwood63.1-5),
V (Sellwood
86).
VologasesIII (Sellwood79.50),and Vologases
73Aliotte
de la Fue,pp.177ff.(cf.157-61)"OrodesIII" (seetable);de la Fue,
RN 1919,pl.2, 26.
74"Monnaies
has
desroisd'Elymade,"
ofthereverse
pl.2, 183(theillustration
beenexchanged
withthatof 186on theright).
50
knot of hair rises fromthe top of the head; it is gatheredtogetherto

forma stem-likeshape near the head and then spreadsout furtherup.
Two bands floatout to the back rightfromthe stem-likeshape. A knot
of hair formedof single round locks hangs down on the back of the
neck. Above this there is a small bow, below it two bands pendant.
The beard is made of coarse dots and circles both cheeks and chin.
From the nearlysemicircularneck of the robe thereis a perpendicular
line fromthe shoulderdown; there is a second, dotted line running
parallelto it. Traces of an anchorare recognizableon the rightbehind
the head.
On this coin, Athena is depicted on the reverseinstead of Artemis.
She is leaningon a spear with her righthand, her lefthand restson a
shieldthat is standingon the ground. Her rightleg seems to be bent,
herfootmusthave restedon a slightrise. The depictionofthisAthena
type on the reverseof Elymaean coins seems to have been limitedto
this ruler. Which rulerit is, is difficultto say. The portraitis most
closely related to that on coins of Khusrau I (Osroes), which are,
however,not as coarse.75There is a standingAthena on the reverseof
coins of Vologases III, for example;76he was a contemporaryof
Khusrau I, so perhaps both rulerschose this motifto indicate their
rivalry.
Group 13, 248
Anothercoin, whichis also the only representativeof its type in the
find,is also ascribedby Le Rider to the mintat Susa (248).77 Giventhe
parallelswithcomparablepieces,78it mustbe a coin of Vardanes I, the
75See alsoLe Rider,pp.429 ff.,pl.73,30-36;Petrowicz

ArsacidenSammlung,
is depicted
on thereverse.
Miinzen
(Vienna,1904),pl.21, 12,wherethereArtemis
II orIII (in
Aliotte
dela Fue,pl.14,184and186,ascribes
thesecoinstoVologases
WrothBMC, 186is ascribed
to Vologases
Ancient
World
,
I, pl.29,8). Mitchiner,
thisruleras PrinceB and datesthecointo ca. 200 A.D.
723,identifies
78Mitchiner,
Ancient
World
, 676 (Chalkous).
77Le Rider,pl.20, 228,229,and 231-33.
78See above,n.77; see also WrothBMC, pl.26, 3 and 4; "Monnaies
des rois
thereas "roiuncertain").
Elymade,"
pl.1, 122(described
Analysis of Groups
51
last Arsacid king,who mintedcoins at Susa untilthe Elymaean kings

took power around 45 A.D.79
The coin is unfortunately
in a verypoor state ofpreservation.On the
obverse it shows the king in profileleft. There is a double diadem
aroundthe hairwhichhangsdownin a gentlewave. The beard is short
and rounded. Thereis a symbolon the foreheadthat is also to be found
in the same formon examplesillustratedby Le Rider. The reverseis so
poorlypreservedthat only an archerseated rightcan be presumedat
all.
79"Monnaies
des roisElymade,"
p.426.
HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
The majorityof the 266 coins in the hoard are froma singleregion
that today includes eastern Iran, Afghanistan,and Turkmenistan.
Most of them,i.e. 144 coins,can be ascribedto the mintin Abarshahr,
present-dayNishapur; perhaps 48 of the coins were struck in Aria,
present-dayHerat; and possibly77 in Margianaor present-dayMerv.80
Only 7 of the coins come froma differentmint in this area, from
Traxiana, whichis probablytoday's Dmghn. In additionto the large
number of coins that were struck in the northeasternpart of the
Parthiankingdom,thereis a small groupof 19 coinsthat was struckby
the Elymaean kingsand one of theirpredecessorsin Susa. They were
probably carried eastward through trade and thus came into the
possessionof the personwho hid the presentfind.Palmyreneinscriptions speak of trade routes leading to Susa and Scythia.81 Isidore
describesParthian stops along the silk route, among them Nisa and
Merv;82Strabo mentionsa route fromPersepolisto Carmania,leading
throughSistan to India.83 The appearance of coins fromSusa this far
east is thereforenot surprising,and their presencehere can perhaps
provideinformationconcerningthe problemof the chronologyof the
coins fromthe main area in question,a subject that is still beset with
great difficulties.
One strikingfeatureof the find is that it is made up entirelyof
coppers- thereare no silvercoins. But many scholarshave come to
80Theexactnumber
with
AriaandMargiana
cannotbe determined
ofcoinsfrom
of
In fact,theidentification
oftypeandwornspecimens.
duetosimilarity
certainty
is basedonSellwood's
attributions
thesetwomints
(pp.12-15)andsomecoinsareso
withanycertainty
at all.
wornthatthemintcannotbe identified
81H. Seyrig,"Inscriptions
Syria22 (1941),
grecquesde l'agorade Palmyre,"
(1952),p. 74.
pp.252-63;J. Starcky,
Palmyre
82Colledge,
p.79.
88Colledge,
p.80.
53
54
the conclusion that silver must have become very scarce in the
Parthian kingdomby the end of the firstcenturyA.D., and particularly duringthe second century.84In Susa and in the easternpart of
the kingdom,drachmswere no longerissued in silver but in copper,
theirweightindicatingthat theyweresupposedto take the place ofthe
silvercoin.85In the east, the last documentedsilvercoins are fromthe
reign of Sanabares I (ca. 135-60), after that only copper coins are
known.86Since most of the coins in this findare later than that, it is
understandablethat no silver coins are included.
The earliestcoinsin the find(group1) werestruckunderPhraates IV
(ca. 38-2 B.C.)87 and his son Phraataces (ca. 2 B.C.-A.D. 4). Since
these coins are very worn, it is difficultto identifythem more
precisely. Coin 1 at least seems to be a coin of Phraates IV; it was
struckat the mintin Margiana. Phraates IV was drivenout ofMesopotamia fora time by Tiridatesand spent the period ca. 29-27 B.C. on
the high plateau occupied by the Scythians. There are thereforea
whole series of coins of Phraates IV struckat easternmints:Mithradatkart, Nisa, Aria, and Margiana. During his reign, there is a
noticeabledecline in the quality of the coins, especiallyin those from
provincialmints.88In the case of fourof the coins (2-5), it is not clear
whetherthey are to be ascribedto Phraates IV or to Phraataces; four
others can probably be ascribed to the latter (8-11). They were all
struck in Margiana. Two other coins (6 and 7) are attributableto
Traxiana. Coins fromMithradatkartand Nisa are also attested from
the east forPhraataces. There are onlya fewcoins struckby thesetwo
rulersin thisfind,and the poor state ofpreservationindicatesthat they
were in circulationfor quite some time.
There are no coins in the findfromthe two followingParthiankings,
Orodes III (A.D. 4-6/7) and Vonones I (ca. 8-12). This comes as no
surprise,since they are knownto have issued coins only fromwestern
84Colledge,
silver-washed
bronze."
p.75, "... thecoinsbecamesimply
86Simonetta
1957,p.50.
86DavidW. MacDowali,"TheDynasty
oftheLaterIndo-Parthians,"
NC 1965,
Ancient
World
, p.365,cf.2645-46and 2647-48.
p. 147;Mitchiner,
87Schippmann:
40-2 B.C.; Sellwood,
p. 159.
88Sellwood,
p. 160.
Historical Perspective
55
mints;no coins fromeasternmintshave been attestedforthese rulers

up to now.89 Yonones was defeated by Artabanus II (ca. 10-38).90
During Artabanus's reignthere were frequentrevolts,and he had to
retreatto the eastern Iranian plateau 91wherehe probablycame from
Again thereare various issues fromeasternmints:Mithrioriginally.92
datkart,Nisa, Margiana,and perhapsAria.93Thereare ten coinsin the
find(groups3 and 4) that can be ascribedto thisruler;theywerestruck
in Margianaand theyare also veryworn. Artabanus ITs death date is
not known since the only mint that included dates on its coins,
Seleucia, was independentat that time. He was followedby Vardanes I
(ca. 40-45), who may have been his son.
Vardanes succeeded in re-establishinghis power in Seleucia, but
duringhis reignhe was engagedin repeatedconflictswithhis brother,
perhapsby adoption,GotarzesII. Coins fromeasternmintsare known
forboth of these rulers. In this find,nine coins fromMargiana (group
5) and one fromSusa (group 13) can be ascribedto Vardanes I. He was
the last kingto strikecoins in Susa.94 These coins mustalso have been
in circulationfor quite some time.
Coins struck in Margiana are also attested for Vologases I (ca.
51-78).95 Josephus,AJ 20.91, reportsthat Vologases hurriedto defend
Parthyeneagainst the attacks of the Sacae and Dahae.96 During his
reign, however, Vologases not only had to deal with Vardanes II
(ca. 55-58) 97who drovehimfromhis thronefora time,but he was also
89Schippmann,
pp.8-9.
90Previously
identified
as Artabanus
III, cf.Debevoise,
p.270,and CHI 3, 1,
p.218.
91Sellwood,
p. 196.
92Kahrstedt,
p. 12.
93Sellwood
a timebefore
Ariawastaken
63.9. Theywouldthenhaveto be from
to
was
between
35
and38 A.D.
Kahrstedt,
34,
which,
byGondophares
according
p.
94Le Rider,pp.425 ff.
95Debevoise,
A.D. 51/52-79/80,
followed
in Bactria
byW.W. Tarn,TheGreeks
and India (1951),p.52; Colledge,
54-58,
125,ca.
179,
51-80;
p.
Schippmann,
pp.
51-ca.76-80.
96Kahrstedt,
p.36.
97According
to Sellwood,
II wasthesonofVologases;
p.223,Vardanes
according
to Kahrstedt,
he was thesonofVardanes
I.
56
attacked by the Romans. Weakened by these attacks, he had to

renouncehis claims to the east in 62 A.D.98 Vologases I was the first
Parthian king to use Aramaic letterson his coins.
Of the succeeding Parthian kings, only Pacorus II (ca. 78-105),"
Vologases III (ca. 105-47 A.D.),100 and Khusrau I (Osroes, ca.
109-29)101mintedcoins in Margiana. This was evidentlythe onlymint
in the east that remainedunderthe controlof the Parthiankingsfora
longerperiodoftime,probablyintothe secondcentury.The findin the
Getty Museum contains seven coins struck in Margiana that are
possiblyto be ascribed to Vologases III (group 6).
During the firsthalf of the firstcenturyA.D. in the east, Gondophares, the king of Sakastana (Sistan), enlarged his inheritanceby
adding Arachosia and India to his realm and extendinghis rule to
Aria.102Accordingto morerecentscholarship,the dates ofhis reignare
usually given as 19/20-ca. 55.103 Only on the basis of numismatic
evidence is it possible to establish a relative chronologyfor his
successors. The firstof them was Abdagases who would have come to
power after55. It is generallyheld that he was followedby Pakores,
who, accordingto Simonetta,may have been a son of Gondophares.104
Simonettasuggestsa regnal period from60 to 90,106while Mitchiner
98Kahrstedt,
p.83.
99Sellwood,p.235; Debevoise,p.270, 78-115/16?,
followed
by Tarn(above,
n.95),p.352;Colledge,
126,citesthree
regnal
p. 179,77-115;Schippmann,
pp.59ff.,
and 113/4-114/5.
periods:
77/8-86/7,
92/3-95/6,
100Colledge,
II with
p. 179,andSellwood,
p.250;in Debevoise,
p.270,Vologases
samedates;Schippmann,
pp.60-64,126,111/2-146/7.
101Debevoise,
p.53,179,ca.
p.270,Tarn,p.352,andSellwood,
p.258;Colledge,
two
cites
89-128?; Schippmann,
59-64,
126,
pp.
regnalperiods:89/90and
108/9-127/8.
102Pliny,HN 6.78,saysthatAria,Arachosia,
and theParapamisads
Gedrosia,
werepartofGondophares'
realm(Kahrstedt,
p.32).
103Asidefrom
thecoins,thereis onlyonewritten
sourcefordatingGondophares'
ascension
tothethrone,
theTakht-e
Bahiinscription.
It canbedatedtohistwentyas to
sixthyearofrule,andtheyearis givenas 103. Despitedifferences
ofopinion
onthe
whicherathisyearis to be assigned,
thereis moreorlessgeneral
agreement
approximate
datingofGondophares.
104Simonetta
1978,p. 160.
106Simonetta
1978,p. 160.
57
places him between ca. 100-110 to 135 and assumes that Abdagases
ruledcorrespondingly
Pakores was followedby Sanabares.107
longer.106
Of all the rulersin the historyof the eastern provincesunder the
Parthians, the figure of Sanabares gives most frequent rise to
discussion. His suggesteddates vary by a centuryand a half.Dobbins,
followingGardner,assumedin an essay in 1971 that Sanabares ruledat
- an assumptionthat is clearly
about the time of Christ's birth108
the
of
the
coins
evidence
already discussed;Mitchiner,on
precludedby
the otherhand, sets the beginningof Sanabares' reignat about 135.109
Sellwood establishesan intermediatedate of ca. 50-65 for Sanabares
I;110both he and Simonettasuggestthat the extant Sanabares coinage
may have been struckby two rulerswith the same name.111
In the findat the GettyMuseum,thereis a relativelylargenumberof
coins (40, groups7-10) that can be ascribedto Sanabares II, perhapsa
son of Sanabares I; they were struckin Margiana. In the case of 51
othercoins fromAria (group 11), it is not clear whethertheyalso stem
fromthe time of Sanabares II or fromthat of one of his successors.
Simonetta assumes, however, that there were at least three other
successors to the territoriesof Sanabares I;112 these kings ruled,
accordingto Simonetta,onlyin the northernpart of the originalrealm
of Gondophares.
A thoroughstudy of the mintsat whichthe individualrulersstruck
theircoinsindicatesthat it is necessaryto distinguishbetweendifferent
106Indo-Parthians,
World
, p.348.
p.394;Ancient
107MacDowali(above,n.17),p. 148,andA.D. H. Bivar,"Gondophares
andthe
IranicaAntiqua16 (1981),pp.141ff.,also assumethesamerelative
Shhnma,"
series:Gondophares,
Pakores,and Sanabares.
Abdagases,
108Gardner
BMC, p.xlvi;Dobbins(above,n.15),esp.p. 141.
109Indo-Parthians
1978,
, pp.348 and 365. In Simonetta's
opinion(Simonetta
surprise
p. 161),no morecoinswerestruckin Sistanafter120,and he expresses
thento thetimeofthefirstSasanianissues.
aboutthelargegapthatexistsfrom
110Sellwood,
650B.C. to
: An Illustrated
NearEast,"Coins
"TheAncient
Survey,
1198.
Price
ed.
Martin
J.
thePresent
253,
(1980),p.
Day,
111Sellwood,
howthe Sanabaresof ca. 50-65
pp.304-5,is notsure,however,
relatesto theoneofthesamenamewho,in hisopinion,
appearedin Arachosia
around85 A.D. or later;Simonetta
1957,p.50.
112Simonetta
1978,p. 161.
58
areas of sovereignityin the eastern part of the Parthian kingdom,

somethingthat previouslyhas not been done by scholars. Gondophares' coins are fromthe eastern mints at Jammu,Taxila, Chach,
Kandahar, and Ghazni; coins of Gondophares*successor Abdagases
come fromTaxilla, Chach, and a mint representedby the symbol.
This is usually the symbol for Ecbatana (Hamadan), but the IndoParthiankingsare not knownto have extendedtheirrule so farwest.
It is more probable that this stands forthe mint at Aria (Herat).
Although Pliny reports that Gondophares added Aria to his
this fact can be documentedonly throughcoins fromthe
kingdom,113
timeof Gondophares'successor,Abdagases. The greatexpansionofthe
kingdomof Sakastan (Sistan) seems to have been only a temporary
phenomenon.Pakores and Sanabares I, who are generallyregardedas
the successorsto Gondopharesand Abdagases, are representedonlyby
coins fromAria. Their names are not foundon coins fromSakastan or
Arachosia nor on coins frommintsfurtherto the east:114this implies
that Pakores and Sanabares ruled over a differentarea. The coins
whichthey struckthat appear in the Gettyhoard are froma limited
area, the provincesof Abarshahr,Margiana, and Aria.115In a later
period,underthe Sasanians, thesethreeprovincesformedthe administrativedistrictof Khorasan.116It can be inferredfromthis findthat
Khorasan was already a self-containedadministrativedistrict in
Parthian times since one would otherwiseexpect to find coins from
113Above,n.102.
114There,Sepadanes
J.
as possible
successors.
andSatavastra
couldbe considered
Journal
en Afghanistan,"
anciennes
desmonnaies
Hackin,"Rpartition
Asiatique
intheareaof
thatofthecoinsthatwerefound
226(1935),p.288,reports,
however,
material
which
the
he
does
not
40percent
werestruck
Kandahar
Pakores;
present
by
thecoins
whichmints
from
nordoesheindicate
allowshimtoreachthisconclusion,
came.
115Assuming
siteofmodern
wastheParthian
Traxiana
(above,n.10),it
Dmghan
ofAbarshahr.
wouldhavebeenon thewestern
edgeoftheprovince
116Theyarelistedoneafter
ontheKa'ba-yeZardosht
theotherintheinscription
de l'rn
"La Listedesprovinces
byShprI (ca. 240-70).See also P. Gignoux,
Scientiarum
de buhret Kirdr,"Ada AntiquaAcademiae
dansles inscriptions
19 (1971),p.92.
Hungaricae
59
othermintsin the Parthiankingdom. It would seem,giventhe absence

of coins of Gondopharesand Abdagases fromthis area, that Khorasan
was a separate districtin later Parthian times.
The group 11 coins of Sanabares II or his successor were more
roughlystruckthan those of the precedinggroup. They were followed
by coins of a finerstyle,those of group 12. The rulerwho commissioned these coins may have been a descendent of Pakores. These
coins, 119 in number, representthe main part of the Getty find.
Almostall of themwere mintedin Abarshahr(Nishapur); fiveof them
were struckin Traxiana (subgroupF). The reversesof the Abarshahr
coins are the earliestinstancesof mint names given in full,a feature
that is usually regarded to have begun with the Sasanian ruler
Varahran IV (A.D. 388-99).117Since these coinsare so numerousin the
find,it suggeststhat the hoard was hiddennot too long afterthe reign
of this ruler. But whenwas that? Here the Elymaean coins contained
in the find may provide helpfulinformation.
Due to the surveyresultingfromthe Mission de Susiane, thereis a
good overall picture of the coins minted in Susa during Parthian
times.118Of the Parthiankings,Vardanes I, ca. 40-45, was the last one
to mintcoins in Susa, and thereis one example preservedin this find
(group 13, 248). The Elymaean kings, on the other hand, began
strikingcoins in Susa in ca. 75. One of the coins (group 14, A, 249) has
been comparedwith coins of Khusrau I and Vologases III and may
have been struckduringthe firstquarterofthe secondcenturyA.D. As
the resultof a study of the Elymaean inscriptionsat Tang-e Sarvak,
the place where Elymaean kings were crowned, W. Henning has
proposedthat King Abar-Bs, to whom subgroupC may be ascribed,
came to the thronein 150.119He was followedby Orodes IV (subgroups
D and E), who came to powerin about 165-70. Orodes III (subgroup
B) presumablyreignedbeforethemin the second quarterofthe second
117Mitchiner,
Ancient
World
, p. 139.
118Le Rider.
119"The Monuments
and Inscriptions
ofTang-iSarvak,"Asia Major2 (1952),
pp.151ff.,esp.p. 176,butsee also p. 178,n.2.
60
century.In addition,thereare some Elymaean coinsin thisgroupthat

are evidently imitations of coins minted by the Parthian ruler
VologasesV (subgroupF). 120 They are remarkablefor the fact that
they bear a facingbust of the king, somethingwhich is to be found
ratherseldomon coins fromParthiantimes. It is reasonableto assume
that these Elymaean coins are nearlycontemporary
withthe Parthian
ruler Vologases V, i.e., fromaround 200. The find as a whole can
thereforeonly have been hidden after this time, presumablyin the
earlythirdcentury.The Parthianrulerwho mintedthe group 12 coins
in Abarshahrwill thus have reigned duringthe last decades of the
second centuryA.D.
The Parthiankingsfromabout the timeofthe Christianera untilthe
middleofthe firstcentury,i.e., fromPhraates IV to Vardanes I, are all
representedby coinsin the findat the GettyMuseum;thesecoinsare in
a very poor state of preservation. They were struck in mints at
Margiana, Aria, and Traxiana. The area in question must therefore
have been underthe suzeraintyofthe Arsacidsat the time. Afterthat,
the names of Parthian kings appear only sporadicallyon coins from
Margiana,as e.g. Vologases I, who had to renouncehis claims to the
easternterritories
in 62 A.D. From about the turnof the centuryand
at the beginningofthe secondcenturythereare extantcoinsofPacorus
II, Vologases III, and Khusrau I, but only fromMargiana. The seven
group6 coinsin the Gettyhoardseemto have been struckby Vologases
III (ca. 105-47), but coins of his immediatepredecessorsin the second
half of the firstcenturyare lacking in this find.
The provinceof Aria fell to the kingdomof Sakastan, presumably
duringthe lifetimeof Gondopharesand, at the latest,duringthe reign
ofAbdagases It was supposedlyafterhis death,duringthe secondhalf
of the firstcentury,that a local rulerfromAria, Pakores, succeededin
makingthe provinceindependentof the powerfulrealmestablishedby
Gondophares and Abdagases in the east. Pakores' successor was
Sanabares I. Nothingis knownabout the relationshipsof these local
rulersto the Parthiankingsfurtherwest,but the uninterrupted
choice
ofthe archeron the reverseofthe coinsindicatesthat theyrecognizeda
120Le Rider,p.430,pl.74,5 and6; cf.Wroth
BMC,p.240,23 and29,pl.35,12
and 13, "VologasesIV."
61
connectionwiththe Arsacids. What the situationwas like in Margiana

and Abarshahrat this time is unclear,althoughthey may have been
partlyunderthe suzeraintyofthe Kushans.121Sanabares II, perhapsa
son af Sanabares I, either added these provinces to his territory,
probablyduringthe second quarterof the second century,or possibly
he was entrustedwith the governmentof this provincialregion(later
called Khorasan) by Vologases III (just as the Sasanians were to
entrustpowerto the local rulerstherea centurylater). The numerous
coin issues withtheirdeclinein stylesuggestthat Sanabares II reigned
fora verylong time,althoughit is also conceivablethat some of these
coins were struck by one or even several successors who adopted
Sanabares ITs style.122A noticeablesharpeningof style beginsin the
second half or last quarter of the second centurywith the issues of a
succeedingrulerwho struckcoins primarilyin Abarshahr. The reverse
of these issues is similarto that of Sanabares II, while the obverseis
reminiscentof issues of Pakores.
The find of copper coins in the Getty Museum thereforenot only
provides a significantamount of previously unknown numismatic
material,but throughits compositionthrowslighton politicaldevelopments in the eastern part of the Parthian kingdomin the firstand
particularlysecond centuries;it also providesclues towardestablishing
a chronologyofthe rulersthere. The unfavorableeconomicsituationof
the timesis made particularlyclear by the fact that only coppercoins
were in circulation. The simultaneouspresenceof coins froma selfcontainedregionin the northeastern
part of the Parthiankingdomand
coins fromElymais that made theirway there over the trade routes
provideswelcome aid in dating the coins. Since the latest coins date
fromca. 200, the findcould not have been concealed any earlierthan
the beginningof the third century.
121See also Kahrstedt,
pp.37 and 82 ff.
122Thisseemsto be in thecase in regardto group11 in particular.
SUMMARY
The find in the Getty Museum provides informationabout the

chronologyof the kingsof Elymais, as well as about the rulersin the
area of Khorasan. There are no certaindates containedin literaryor
othersourcesfortheserulersand the coinsprovideno such dates either,
since they are all undated coppers. The sequencing of the coins,
however,does suggesta relativechronologyforsome of the individual
rulers.
The relativeorderof the identifiableElymaean kingsin the second
centuryA.D. is :
Ca. 100-125: an unknownkingwhose coins can be comparedwiththose
of Khusrau I and Vologases III
Ca. 125-50: Orodes III
Ca. 150:
Abar-Bs
Ca. 165-70: Orodes IV
Ca. 200:
an unknownking (Orodes V?) whose coins can be compared with similar coins of Vologases V.
The largestpart ofthe Gettyhoardis composedof coins of Sanabares
II (groups7-10, 38-77), Sanabares II or a successor(group11, 78-128),
and a rulerat Abarshahr(group 12, 129-242) and Traxiana (group 12,
243-47). These coinsand the Elymaean coinsin the find(groups13-14,
248-66), along with otherpublishedcoins, can be used to establisha
relative chronologyof the rulerswho struckcoins at Aria, Margiana,
Abarshahr,and Traxiana, the area later known as Khorasan. This
seems to have been an independentarea which enjoyed a different
status than the empire of the Indo-Parthiansestablishedby Gondofromthe Parthiansto
pharesto the east and whichwas also different
the west. These coins should not be assigned to the kingdom of
Sakastan: theyrepresenta separate,moreor less independentadministrativearea. Their kings evidentlywere related to a familythat was
establishedin Aria.
63
64
The relative order of the identifiablekings of Khorasan is:

Ca. 50-100: Pakores securesthe independenceof his kingdomfromthe
Indo-Parthians
Ca. 100-125: Sanabares I
Ca. 125-50: Sanabares II incorporatesMargiana and Abarshahrinto
his kingdom;eitherreignedfora long time or had one or
moresuccessorswho maintainedhis styleof coinage very
closely
Ca. 150-200: Unknownruler of Abarshahr
The Gettyhoard providesmuch new informationabout the eastern
Parthians in the firsttwo centuriesA.D. For more specificdetails
about the successionof kingsand dates of individualrulers,however,
new sourcematerialmustbe found. In any case, the numerouscoinsin
this find- forwhichthereare scarcelyany parallels- make possible
a new view of the rulers in the eastern provinces of the Parthian
kingdomand of the bordersof their realm. In spite of the modest
materialused, copper,and the poor state of preservation,these coins
are of great importancefor the historyof Iran during the second
centuryA.D.
PLATES
Plate 1
Group1
Plate 2
Group5
Plate 3
Plate 4
Group10
Plate 5
Plate 6
Plate 7
Plate 8
Plate 9
Plate 10
Plate 11
Plate 12

A Hoard of Coins From Eastern Parthia / by Heidemarie Koch

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A Hoard of Coins From Eastern Parthia / by Heidemarie Koch

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NUMISMATIC

In the springof 1982, myhusband Guntramand I wereable to spend

Aliotte de la Fue, Monnaies de Vlymade (Chartres,1905)

F. Hill, BMC GreekCoins of Arabia,

Some yearsago, the J. Paul GettyMuseumwas givena singlefindof

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

For many years Head's listingof rulersand chronologywas moreor

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

struckcoins in the main group of this findcan we distinguishcap-like

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

Mitchiner,Indo-Parthians1154 (bottomrow,center) 'Sanabares

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

56. Obv. shorthairin threeloose layers. Rev. 1.legendcomplete.3.83 f

Rev. 1. thigh visible above r., 1. calf disproportionatelylong.

Sanabares II (ca. secondquarterofthe secondcentury)or his successor

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

RulerofAbarshahr(ca. secondhalfor last quarterofthe secondcentury)

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

Southwestern Mint : Susa

Unknownruler (ca. firstquarter of second century)

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

Abar-Bs (ca. 150-65)

Orodes IV (ca. 165-end of second centuryA.D.)

Obv. double diadem,bow at back of head withtwo ties hanging;

Aliottede la Fue 171, "Orodes IV," pl. 14; Aliotte de la Fue,

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

In analyzing the individual groups,we will begin with those coins

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

The most familiarSanabares copper coin type is representedby an

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

frontof the forehead;the reverseis also to be groupedwith50 and 51,

traces of the reverseinscriptionhave become even more obscure and

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

monogramE is to be found. Includedin this groupare coins that have

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

12 and, instead,thereis usually a crescentmoon and a star in frontof

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

This word is not unknown. For instance,the religiousfounderMani

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

Abarshahrmust lie in the area fromwhich the coins in the Getty

diadem emerge four waved strands of hair that end in a relatively

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

The tendencytowardcoarserexecutiongrowsstrongerin succeeding

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

One group of coins is very closely related to coins of Vologases I,

addition,if BACIAEappeared on this coin twice,therewas onlyenough

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

are obscureand so classificationis very difficult.Amongthese coins,

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

K. W. Dobbins, who illustratesa coin fromthis group, is unable to

foreheadof the king is to be foundamong comparable coins only on

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

behind this there are two thin, parallel arched-linesto be seen,

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

The crown described above is readily recognizable on coins that

hairand the shaven neck- featureswhichare not to be foundon other

A Hoard from Eastern Parthia

knot of hair rises fromthe top of the head; it is gatheredtogetherto

75See alsoLe Rider,pp.429 ff.,pl.73,30-36;Petrowicz