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Identifying Parthian Drachms

Started by CameronK, December 23, 2023, 10:21:59 PM

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Kamnaskires

Well, of course, the notion that old sculptures may have been recycled for crests is totally speculative and perhaps doubtful. But my main point is that small zoomorphic pieces had regional significance going back, at least, to the finials and other in-the-round bronze depictions of the ancestors of the local population. Of course, the display of animals upon the tiaras could also have had a syncretized significance – both Scythian and Persian. This would be similar to the speculation that the reverse archer on Parthian coins, while usually deemed to represent Arsakes I exclusively, may have been more of a syncretization of Arsakes and the great Persian archer Arash – again, with an acknowledgement to the tradition (in this case, mythology) of the local population. The assumption there, I believe, is that the story of the hero Arash preceded the Parthian Empire in Iran and that it was used (via the iconic archer on the coins) for, basically, propaganda. (For more on that: Jeffrey D. Lerner's "Mithadates I and the Parthian Archer" in Arsacids, Romans, and Local Elites: Cross-Cultural Interactions of the Parthian Empire.")

Figleaf

Great fun post, Kamnaskires! Thank you. It looks like many of the miniature ibexes have a miniature pedestal, making them somewhat awkward to wear and fit to stand. The holes in the body are useful for wearing, but those at the foot could be handy for attaching them to something flat. If I have seen this correctly, it would make sense to assemble data on holes and pedestals to see if there is a correlation between them.

Your post reminded me of the Celtic miniature wheels, attribute of Taranis (Toutatis in Asterix-speak). They are found in huge quantities in Celtic holy places, apparently used as temple offerings, they were also used as jewellery and they practically always had plenty of holes.

BTW, as you will know, several tribes and nations were called "Scythian"; no need to be too precise on exactly who the ibexes would appeal to. The question is probably worthy of a study by itself.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.