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Tetradrachm - Attambelos I Charax-Spasinou
| Issuer | Kingdom of Characene (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 43 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and bearded bust of Attambelos I facing right, rendered in the Hellenistic tradition with pronounced facial features including a prominent nose and full beard with undulating locks. The royal diadem is clearly visible across the forehead, its ends trailing behind the head. The hair is rendered in thick, wavy strands falling to the nape of the neck, reflecting an Eastern Hellenistic artistic style. The portrait is set within a dotted border, occupying the full field of the flan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Attambelos I founded Characene as a client kingdom under Parthian suzerainty, ruling from the port city of Charax Spasinou at the head of the Persian Gulf — a hub for the overland and maritime trade routes connecting the Mediterranean world to India. His tetradrachms follow the reduced Attic standard that had become conventional in the Seleucid successor states, a practical concession to regional commerce rather than any assertion of independence from broader monetary norms.
BMC Greek 5 is among the better-documented pieces from this obscure dynasty, whose coinage record is thin enough that individual specimens frequently appear in scholarly discussions of Parthian-era vassal kingdoms.