AR Tetradrachm PERSIA - ELYMAIS KINGDOM - KAMNASKIRES V, circa 54/3-23/2 BC - Seleukia on the Hedyphon vf-

weight 15,10gr. | silver Ø 27mm.
obv. Draped and diademed bust of king Kamnaskires left, bearded,
star right above, anchor behind
rev. Diademed bust (of Parthian king ?) left, blundered (retrograde)
legend around on four sides in corrupt Greek, derived from
BΑCΙΛЄΩC / ΚΑΠΝΑCΚΙΡΟΥ / TΟY ΒΑCΙΛЄΩC / KΑΠΝΑCΚΙΡ,
retrograde date below: EΠ(?)
These coins are often dated according to the Seleucid Era.
The date should be read as SE 28(.) Elymais, the Hellenic form of the more ancient name, Elam, was an autonomous state of the 2nd century BC to the early 3rd century AD, frequently a vassal under Parthian control. It was located between the east bank of the Tigris and the Zagros Mountains at the head of the Persian Gulf in Susiana (the present-day region of Khuzestan, Iran). Most of the population probably descended from the ancient Elamites, who once had control of that area. Very little is known of the history of Elymais, with many of the later kings known only from their coins. Many of the kings bear Parthian names (Orodes and Phraates), but they are apparently not the same monarchs as the Parthian kings of the same name, although the later Elymaean kings do seem to have been an offshoot of the Parthian Arsakid royal family. The Elymaeans were reputed to be skilled archers. In 187 BC, they killed Antiochus III the Great after he had pillaged their temple of Bel. Nothing is known of their language, even though Elamite was still used by the Achaemenid Empire 250 years before the kingdom of Elymais came into existence. A number of Aramaic inscriptions are found in Elymais. The kingdom of Elymais survived until its extinction by a Sasanian invasion in the early 3rd century AD. The coins of Elymais were based on Greek standards of debased Drachms and Tetradrachms. The royal picture is generally based on Parthian coinage, usually with an anchor with a star in crescent figure. The reverse has usually a male diademed portrait, a figure or bust of Artemis with text around it, an eagle, or often only elongated dots (this has led numismatists to believe that the engravers didn′t know Greek or copied from coins whose writing was already unintelligible) Usually these tetradrachms are made of debased silver or silverplated copper.
This tetradrachme however, is made of rather good silver. cf. Van′t Haaff 9.1.1-7e (= SE 289 = 24/3 BC) Mitchiner ACW - (cf. 703-706) |
cf. Alram 464  cf. Sunrise 483 | cf. De Morgan p. 31, no. 14 (Pl. I, fig.12)
vf-

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