Rare early AE drachm of Orodes II (c.80/100 AD), w/Belos, Susa, Elymais Kingdom

Bust three-quarters facing left, with long beard and puffy hair on the sides, wearing diademed and crested tiara, crescent with a star inside and anchor with a single crossbar to the right / Small radiate bust of Belos facing three-quarters left, partial Arameic legend: wrwd Mlk' bry wrwd ("King Orodes, son of Orodes"). 15mm, 3.60 grams. Susa mint (?). Van't Haaf #13.1

Probably the earliest type of Orodes II, with the portrait in the style of Kamnaskires-Orodes (his presumed father). Interestingly, there are no known coins of this type of Kamnaskires-Orodes showing a single cross-bar on the anchor (presumed Susa mint), so these coins might have been minted in the name of Orodes II during the life of his father.

The partially accepted theory, proposed by J.Hansman in 1990, is that one crossbar on the anchor was the mintmark of the mint of Susa and two crossbars was the mintmark of Seleucia on the Hedyphon.

Elymais or Elamais (Graecized form of the more ancient name, Elam) were a people who were subject to Arsacid control from 247 BC to 221 AD, and was the name of the region they inhabited (roughly corresponding to the region named Susiana). It was reportedly these people were great archers and natives of Susa, which lies to the east of Elymais territory. Most of the Elymais were probably descendants of the ancient Elamites. Very little is known about their history, and nothing at all is known of their language, even though "Elamite" was still used by the Achaemenid Empire 250 years before the Elymais came into existence. The kingdom of Elymais survived until its extinction by Sassanid invasion in the third century AD.

SKU X10955-50432