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Ancient Coin of the Day: Heading east today, to take a quick gander at some of the gorgeous coins produced by the Arcasids of Parthia, starting with this silver drachm of Arcases I, ca. 220-215 BC. #ACOTD #Parthia #Arcasid
Image: ANS 1991.65.1. Link - numismatics.org/collection/199…
Image: ANS 1991.65.1. Link - numismatics.org/collection/199…
The Arsacids were the ruling dynasty of Parthia from the mid-3rd Century BC until AD 224, taking their name from their founder Arsaces, who conquered Parthia ca. 238 BC, following its secession from the Seleucid kingdom.
Although autonomous coins were rapidly issued by the new dynasty, they necessarily owe much to the existing Seleucid coins, but yet were keen to communicate an idiosyncratic identity in order to distinguish the Arcasids.
Ancient Coin of the Day: A denarius of ca. 19-4 BC commemorating the Augustan recovery of the legionary standards from the Parthians. #ACOTD #Augustus
Image: RIC Augustus 287; British Museum (2002,0102.4941). Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(…
Image: RIC Augustus 287; British Museum (2002,0102.4941). Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(…
The loss of three Roman legionary standards under Crassus at the battle of Carrhae on 9 June in 53 BC - to say nothing of the failure of Mark Antony's Parthian Expedition in 36 BC - had long been a source of embarrassment to Roman martial reputation.
Augustus' successful diplomatic recovery of the standards in 20 BC did much to restore Roman 'dignity'. Thus unsurprisingly it was an event that featured prominently on the coinage of the period, including this denarius of Publius Petronius Turpilianus.
