Mithridates II, 121-91 BC, Drachm

Mithridates II, Drachm, AR, 121–91 BC, 3.83 g, 20 mm. Ecbatana mint. Diademed bust of Mithridates II left, wearing elaborately draped robe and a multi-spiral torc. Reverse: Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on a high-backed throne, holding bow; Greek legend surrounding. Struck at Ecbatana to the Parthian drachm standard; issue classified by Sellwood as 27.2. Ref: Sellwood 27.2.

Mithridates II consolidated Arsacid power across Iran and Mesopotamia, bringing Media firmly under Parthian control and asserting influence over Armenia while the Seleucid state declined. His reign saw the first recorded diplomatic contact between Parthia and Rome near the Euphrates. Ecbatana served as a principal royal center and mint, and the seated archer type venerates Arsakes, the dynasty’s founder, while the Greek legend reflects continued Hellenistic monetary practice within the Parthian realm.