Editing Arsaces I of Parthia (section)

== Coinage ==
[[Image:Coin of Arsaces I (2), Nisa mint.jpg|thumb|Coin of Arsaces, Nisa mint.]]
In essence, Arsaces' coins "provided the prototype for all subsequent Arsacid coinage, although itself undergoing a few changes".{{sfn|Rezakhani|2013|p=766}} [[Khodadad Rezakhani]] adds that his coins took many stylistic elements from Seleucids and earlier Achaemenid satrapal issues, but he nonetheless made several innovations that differentiated them from those of his predecessors.{{sfn|Rezakhani|2013|pp=766-767}} According to [[Alireza Shapour Shahbazi]], on his coins, Arsaces "deliberately diverges from Seleucid coins to emphasize his nationalistic and royal aspirations";{{sfn|Shahbazi|1986|p=525}} the typical Seleucid figure of [[Apollo]] seated on the [[omphalos]] and holding a bow is replaced by an archer imitating Arsaces,{{efn|According to Fabrizio Sinisi, scholars are divided about the identity of the archer. According to Sinisi, the archer might represent a so-called "deified" ancestor of the Arsacids or simply the Arsacid king himself. Sinisi notes: "A definite answer is difficult, but as the link with the Seleucid Apollo on omphalos is still not obviously apparent in this phase, since the Parthian archer is seated on a stool, the already noted Achaemenid connections might perhaps be stressed: these would in fact provide a context for the seated archer figure, for the karen title, and for the obverse head with the soft cap as well. That the living Arsaces might have tried to represent himself as heir of the old Iranian empire of course in no way excludes that his memory could later have been subject to some kind of special homage, but the character of the Iranian royal ancestor cult still remains problematic".{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|p=280}}}} who is seated on a stool (done in the same fashion as some Achaemenid satraps, such as [[Datames]]) whilst wearing [[Saka]]ian clothing and a soft cap, known as the ''[[bashlyk]]''.{{sfn|Shahbazi|1986|p=525}} 

Some of the inscriptions on Arsaces' coins calls him ''kārny''{{efn|Also spelled ''krny'' or ''karen''.{{sfn|Rezakhani|2013|p=767}}{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|p=280}} According to David Sellwood, this Aramaic word may be cognate with the [[House of Karen|family name "Karen"]], but he adds that in "Achaemenian usage", it was the equivalent of ''οτρατηγόs'', and thus "close to our assumed meaning for autocrat".{{sfn|Sellwood|1983|p=280}}}} (the Greek equivalent being ''[[autokrator]]''), which was a title carried by prominent Achaemenid military leaders, such as [[Cyrus the Younger]].{{sfn|Shahbazi|1986|p=525}}{{efn|[[Khodadad Rezakhani|Rezakhani]] notes that the earliest coins of Arsaces bear the inscription ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟΣ. These particular coins are reportedly the only attestations to the usage of this title by the Arsacids. Rezakhani states that it might suggest "an initial submission to Seleucid suzerainty, as the title suggests that Arsaces I thought of himself as the appointed military governor of Parthia, a fact that might also show his self-understanding as the successor of [[Andragoras (Seleucid satrap)|Andragoras]], the rebellious Seleucid satrap of Parthia". According to the same rationale, Rezakhani notes that "some issues from Nisa, in addition to including the name of Arsaces in Greek, bear Aramaic ''krny'', an Achaemenid military title for Arsaces, replacing any Greek titles".{{sfn|Rezakhani|2013|p=767}}}} Through the use of this title, Arsaces was deliberately putting himself above that of a satrap, but simultaneously avoided using the royal title of ''[[basileus]]'' (king), which would imply that he followed the Seleucid regal tradition, which he dismissed.{{sfn|Olbrycht|2021|p=251}} From an Iranian point of view, the title of ''basileus'' was of minor importance.{{sfn|Olbrycht|2021|p=252}} 

Arsaces seemingly used the city he had founded – Nisa, as a site for his coin mints.{{sfn|Curtis|2007|p=8}} The coins of Arsaces were minted in both silver and bronze.{{sfn|Rezakhani|2013|p=766}} Arsaces' silver ''[[drachms]]'' (which would become the main denomination of the Arsacids) depict his unbearded profile on the obverse, looking to the right, similar to depictions of Seleucid royals on coins.{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|pp=276, 279}} According to Fabrizio Sinisi, similarly, the seated archer on the reverse is turned to the left.{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|p=279}} The Greek legend ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟΣ is inscribed in two vertical lines on the sides of the ''drachms'', in similar fashion to Seleucid coins.{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|pp=279-280}} Regardless of these features, Sinisi notes that Arsaces' coins are "immediately recognizable as issued by a non-Greek ruler".{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|p=280}} For instance, Arsaces wears the pointed soft cap on the obverse, similar to coins of the Achaemenid era, as does the archer on the reverse who is dressed in an Iranian riding costume.{{sfn|Sinisi|2012|p=280}}