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Tetradrachm - Phraates V and Musa
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 11.11 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ |
| Reverse description | Bust of Queen Musa facing right, depicted wearing an elaborate tiara adorned with a double loop, her portrait executed in a Hellenistic court style befitting her status as co-ruler. A flying Nike appears in the field before the bust, and the diadem ends contain the abbreviated month name XAN (Xandikos, corresponding to April/May AD 1, read from the outside). A four-line Greek inscription encircling the design reads THEAS OURANIAS MOUSES BASILISSES, identifying the queen as the Heavenly Goddess Musa, Queen. |
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| Additional information |
Phraates V came to power after his mother Musa — a Roman-born slave gifted to Phraates IV by Augustus — allegedly poisoned his father and married her own son. The union was scandalous enough that Parthian nobles eventually drove both from the throne, forcing them to flee to Roman Syria around 4 AD. Their joint coinage is accordingly brief and rare, produced during perhaps three years of contested rule.
The Shore 323 attribution places this among the later issues of the type, struck as dynastic opposition was already mounting.