Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 510. Estimate $750.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $3750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PARTHIA. Phriapatios. 185-170 BC. AR Drachm (4.29 g, 12h). Hekatompylos mint. Head left, wearing bashlyk and earring, within pelleted border / APΣAKOY, archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, holding bow. Assar, Genealogy I, fig. 3/11; Sellwood 7.1 (Mithradates I); Shore -. EF, toned. Very rare.

From the Todd A. Ballen Collection.

According to Justin (41.5.8), the third Arsakid king was Phriapatius who is also attested in three ostraca from Nisa dated 91, 78 and 68 B.C. He is reported by Justin (41.5.9) to have ruled fifteen years and left two sons, Phraates I and Mithradates I. At the same time, both a recently published ostracon from Nisa and Justin (41.6.9) confirm that Mithradates I was a great-grandson of Arsakes I while the genealogy given in ostracon 1760 (2638) from Nisa refers to Phriapatius as the son of the brother’s son (nephew) of Arsakes I. To solve this complex situation one must assume that Justin confused some Parthian princes with similar names and conflated the reign of Phriapatius with that of another king named Artabanos in Trogus’ Prologue 41. It is possible that following the death of Arsakes II in about 200 B.C., his son Artabanos ruled until 190 B.C. and left behind two minor sons, Mithradates I and Bagases. This caused the kingship to pass to Phriapatius who ruled until about 175 B.C. He in turn was succeeded by his elder son Phraates I (ca. 175-170 B.C.) while his minor son (probably called Mithradates) lived until at least 157/6 B.C. to father Sinatrukes. On the death of Phraates I the kingship was restored to the line of Arsakes I when Mithradates I ascended the throne in about 170 B.C.