A Seleucid Anchor Reverse

Nice coin, Jim, with an excellent reverse that has held up well.

I have a roundabout interest in the Seleucid anchor motif. It was appropriated by the Elymaeans in the latter part of the second century BC, where it initially may have been intended as a symbol of the mint at Seleucia on the Hedyphon. At that point, early in the history of Elymais (which had supplanted Seleucid control of a small area at the north end of the Persian Gulf), the anchor's shape closely echoed the Seleucid version. Its shape changed some over the next several centuries on Elymaean coins as it became a general symbol of Elymais. It is believed that the number of crossbars on the anchors on coins from Elymais may be an indicator of mint location: one for Susa, two for Seleucia on the Hedyphon, three for a third, unidentified mint. I would guess that most folks who collect coins of Elymais don't think about or even realize that the Seleucid dynastic symbol of the anchor was the antecedent for the symbol of Elymais.

@Bob L Thank you for that information Bob. I wasn't aware of Elymais, or the anchor symbol connection. That info is going into my Seleucid folder for future reference. I had seen anchor countermarks, and had assumed them to be Seleucid, but obviously they could possibly be also associated with Elymais. It is amazing how topics can be interconnected in unexpected ways. If I had not posted the coin, I would still be unaware of the Elymais connection. Thanks again.

@Palouche Cheers Paul. I had also wondered why the anchors were depicted with the crown uppermost, and it could well be for the same reason as the horseshoe. I can think of no other reason why it should be so.

Interestingly, on the image of the reverse of this coin, it clearly shows a boss on top of the crown. When the vessel was anchored in bad, or rocky, holding ground, the anchor could be laid with a rope secured to the boss. If the anchor stuck and would not break free, the rope could be heaved on to pull the anchor free.

Welcome to Elymais, Jim. Using van't Haaff, which is the most recent research on Elymaeans, yours is a drachm of Phraates, early - mid 2nd century AD. It can be cataloged as van't Haaff 14.7.2-1.

There were only two kings of Elymais who issued coins with obverse left-facing busts wearing tiaras - Phraates and Orodes III (using van't Haaff's attributions, that is). The easy-to-spot difference is that Orodes III's tiara has another anchor motif, while Phraates - like yours - has a crescent facing upward, with a pellet above. If it had horns sticking out the sides it would look very much like Fred Flintstone's Water Buffalo Lodge hat - the symbols are very similar.