2020-07-06 Mon

Orodes II was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 57 BC to 37 BC. He was a son of Phraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his elder brother Mithridates IV. The two brothers quickly fell out and entered into a dynastic struggle, in which Orodes was triumphant.

Coinage under Orodes remained largely unchanged. The obverse of his coins portrays him with short hair and beard, along with a visible mustache. The reverse depicts a seated archer wearing a soft cap (bashlyk) and sitting on a throne. Another reverse of his coins, however, depicts an investiture scene, where Orodes is receiving a scepter by the Greek goddess Tyche.

Like the rest of the Parthian kings, Orodes used the title of Arsaces on his coinage, which was the name of the first Parthian ruler Arsaces I, which had become a royal honorific among the Parthian monarchs out of admiration for his achievements.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org