Elymais Drachm — Orodes III — Artemis

Kings of Elymais

Ruler: Orodes III

Period: 2nd century AD

Denomination: AE Drachm (3.66 g; 14 mm)

Mint: Susa

Obverse: Diademed bust left, wearing tiara with anchor; to right, pellet-in-crescent above anchor with single crossbar

Reverse: Draped bust of Artemis right, wearing calathus

Numismatic Type: Van't Haaff Type 16.1.1-1

Elymais was an ancient Iranian kingdom centered around Susa in southwestern Iran. Situated at the crossroads of the Iranian plateau, Mesopotamia, and the Hellenistic world, Elymais developed a distinctive culture that combined older Elamite and Iranian traditions with strong Hellenistic and Parthian influences. Although much less famous than Rome, Greece, or Byzantium, the kingdom's coinage offers a fascinating glimpse into a regional civilization that maintained its own rulers and artistic traditions within the wider political world of the Parthian East.

Orodes III ruled Elymais during the 2nd century AD, a period in which the kingdom existed within the wider political sphere of the Arsacid Parthian Empire. The historical record for many Elymaean rulers is limited, and their coins are among the most important surviving evidence for their reigns and royal imagery. The coinage of Orodes III continues the distinctive Elymaean tradition of combining Iranian royal portraiture with symbols and imagery derived from the broader Hellenistic world.

This AE drachm presents a diademed bust of Orodes III facing left and wearing a distinctive tiara with an anchor, accompanied by the characteristic pellet-in-crescent and anchor symbolism. The reverse depicts the draped bust of Artemis facing right and wearing a calathus, a cylindrical headdress associated with fertility and abundance. The pairing of the Elymaean king with the Hellenistic goddess Artemis is a particularly striking example of the cultural synthesis found in the kingdom's coinage. The coin is attributed to Van't Haaff Type 16.1.1-1.