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Dichalkous - Phraates IV Mithradatkart
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 37 BC - 2 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and bearded bust of Phraates IV facing left, rendered in the Hellenistic-Parthian artistic tradition with simplified, somewhat schematic modeling characteristic of Parthian bronze coinage. The king's distinctive beard and royal diadem are discernible despite the heavily worn and irregular flan. No legend is present on this bronze denomination, consistent with Sellwood type 51 dichalkoi. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phraates IV secured the Parthian throne by murdering his own father Orodes II and then systematically eliminating his brothers — somewhere between thirty and a hundred of them, depending on the source. He later sent his own sons to Rome as hostages, a calculated diplomatic move that removed potential rivals while cultivating a relationship with Augustus. The Mithradatkart mint, likely located in Media, struck bronzes across his long reign but remains poorly documented in the archaeological record compared to Seleucia.
Sellwood 51.8 falls within a series notable for inconsistent module and fabric, reflecting decentralized production rather than any single controlled output.