Drachma from Parthia

A Parthian drachma with a bearded man on the front, facing left, wearing Parthian royal headgear. Above the head is text written in Parthian, in Pahlavi script. On the back, there is an archer who has turned to the right and has a bow in his hand.

Parthian coins are interesting in that, although they were partly inspired by the styles of Greek coins, mainly from Hellenistic kings, the Parthians themselves were not Greek. Since King Mithridates I, Parthia had been in closer contact with the Greeks, also commercially, but the coins were mainly identified with Persian symbolism and imagery. In this case, for example, Parthian features such as the royal headgear and the use of the Parthian language in the texts on the coin distinguish it from Greek coins. However, many of the coins also aim to connect with the Greeks. Some of the coins contain Greek text instead of Parthian text, and some rulers added the word philhellene (φιλέλλην) to their royal title, which literally meant a friend of the Greeks. However, it also made it clear that the Parthians were not Greeks, although they were friendly to them and, for example, the use of the Greek language was common in Parthia. In addition to this, the Parthian monetary system was also based on drachmas.

The style of almost all Parthian kings’ coins is exactly the same, except for slight changes in the texts. Because of this, it is almost impossible to date them. In this case, for example, the coin could have been struck by anyone from Mithridates II to Sinatruces I.