Rivalling Rome: Parthian coins and culture

BIPS AGM Lecture 2022
by Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis

The first official encounter between Parthia and Rome happened in 96 BC when envoys from these two empires met along the river Euphrates. This was the beginning of a series of endless encounters, clashes as well as periods of peace between two political powers who fought over political and economic supremacy in the ancient world. Under Mithradates II (122/1 -91 BC) the consolidation and expansion of the Parthian empire and its influence in neighbouring kingdoms caused a potential threat to Rome and its client kingdoms in Asia Minor, resulting in military campaigns to Parthian territories and political interference in Parthian affairs. While numerous secondary Roman sources describe Rome’s continuous clashes with its mighty eastern opponent, Parthian sources are few and far between, but the coins of this period are an important primary source for Parthian history and culture.