What is a tetradrachm?

A silver coin worth four drachms, about 16–17 g, used for large payments across the Seleucid, Parthian and Characene worlds.

Where were Parthian tetradrachms struck?

Almost entirely at Seleucia on the Tigris, the Greek-speaking commercial capital of the Parthian empire, and usually dated in the Seleucid era.

How many Tetradrachm pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?

12 items, dated 261 BCE – 281 CE, spread across 2 eras: Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire.

Which metals were used for Tetradrachm coinage?

Silver, Billon. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.

Where were Tetradrachm coins minted?

Recorded mints include Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra, Antioch on the Orontes, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, Seleucia on the Tigris.

Persian Treasury

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Denomination

The Tetradrachm: a Persian numismatic guide

Large four-drachm silver of the Seleucid and Parthian courts, struck for prestige and payment. 12 catalogued examples spanning Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire.

In short

The tetradrachm is the large four-drachm silver coin of the Greek weight system — about 16–17 g — struck in Iran and Mesopotamia by the Seleucid kings, the Parthians at Seleucia, and the kings of Characene and Elymais. The Tetradrachm is a Persian and Iranian denomination represented by 12 catalogued examples dated 261 BCE – 281 CE. Large four-drachm silver of the Seleucid and Parthian courts, struck for prestige and payment. Examples here are struck in Silver, Billon at mints including Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra and 6 more.

Catalogued: 12
Eras: 2
Metals: 2
Denominations: 2

Key facts

Key facts about Tetradrachm in the Persian Treasury catalogue
Catalogued pieces	12
Date range	261 BCE – 281 CE
Eras represented	Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire
Metals	Silver, Billon
Denominations	Drachm, Tetradrachm
Mints	Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra, Antioch on the Orontes, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, Seleucia on the Tigris, Seleucia on the Hedyphon (Khuzestan), Istakhr (Persepolis)
Issuers	Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid), Antiochus III, Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian), Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Euthydemus I, Mithradates I, Orodes I, Phraates IV
Weight	~16–17 g (Attic standard)
Diameter	~25–32 mm
Main mint	Seleucia on the Tigris
Dating	Seleucid era, from autumn 312 BCE

A prestige denomination

At roughly 25–32 mm and 16–17 g on the Attic standard, the tetradrachm was the coin of large payments: army pay, temple dedications, inter-state settlements. Its size gave engravers room, so it carries the best portraiture of the ancient Iranian world.

Seleucid tetradrachms show the diademed king right with Apollo on the omphalos or Zeus enthroned. Parthian tetradrachms, struck almost exclusively at Seleucia on the Tigris, show the king left with elaborate investiture and enthronement scenes and a dated Seleucid-era legend.

Regional variants

Characene kings at Spasinou Charax struck tetradrachms with a seated Heracles reverse for three centuries, descending gradually into billon and base metal. Elymaean issues from Susa and Seleucia on the Hedyphon follow a parallel path, ending in crude bronze pieces with dashes for legends.

That decline is diagnostic: a schematic portrait built from dots and lines with a barely legible legend is normal for a late Gulf tetradrachm and does not mean the coin is false.

Seleucid Persia · 312 – 141 BCE

Era overview →

Early Seleucid Tetradrachm

Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid)

281–261 BCE

Anchor symbol referenced the Seleucid dynasty's founding legend.

Antiochus III "the Great" Tetradrachm

Antiochus III

222–187 BCE

Struck in massive quantities to fund eastern campaigns.

Greco-Bactrian Tetradrachm of Diodotus I

Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian)

c. 250 BCE

Diodotus broke from the Seleucids to found the Greco-Bactrian kingdom — Hellenistic coinage striking deep into eastern Iran.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Tetradrachm

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

175–164 BCE

The most ambitious Seleucid king after Antiochus III — his eastern campaigns took him deep into Iran where he died in 164 BCE near Tabae in Persis. His coinage is the high-water mark of Seleucid royal portraiture.

Greco-Bactrian Tetradrachm of Euthydemus I

Euthydemus I

c. 230–200 BCE

Withstood a three-year siege by Antiochus III at Bactra. His coinage is the high-water mark of Greco-Bactrian portrait engraving. Image: related Diodotid Bactrian tetradrachm.

Parthian (Arsacid) Empire · 247 BCE – 224 CE

Era overview →

Mithradates I Tetradrachm

Mithradates I

171–138 BCE

First king to title himself 'Great King'.

Orodes I Silver Tetradrachm

Orodes I

90–77 BCE

Orodes I ruled in a turbulent period of Arsacid civil war. His successor Orodes II would later defeat Crassus at Carrhae (53 BCE).

Phraates IV Silver Tetradrachm

Phraates IV

37–2 BCE

Phraates IV defeated Mark Antony's Parthian expedition (36 BCE) and later received the four Roman legionary standards lost at Carrhae back from Augustus (20 BCE) — a diplomatic coup commemorated on Roman coinage. His Seleucia tetradrachms are precisely dated month-by-month.

Vologases I Tetradrachm

Vologases I

51–78 CE

Vologases I founded a new dynastic branch and is credited by Pahlavi tradition with the first systematic collection of the Avesta. His reign coincided with Rome's wars over Armenia and the Treaty of Rhandeia (63 CE).

Elymais Tetradrachm of Kamnaskires V

Kamnaskires V of Elymais

c. 54–32 BCE

The Kingdom of Elymais — successor to ancient Elam in lowland Khuzestan — minted vassal coinage under Parthian overlordship. Their stylised portraits are some of the most distinctive of the period.

Persis Frataraka Tetradrachm

Vahbarz / Vadfradad (Frataraka)

c. 220–140 BCE

The Frataraka ('Foremost') were local princes of Persis (modern Fars) who minted in a deliberate revival of Achaemenid iconography — the ideological seed-bed of the later Sasanian dynasty. Image: related Persis silver of Darius II of Persis.

Characene Tetradrachm — Spasinou Charax

Attambelos I of Characene

1st century BCE – 1st century CE

The Kingdom of Characene at the head of the Persian Gulf was a Parthian vassal controlling Indian Ocean trade. Its coins debased steadily as silver gave way to lead-bronze. Image: related Elymaean billon tetradrachm.

Frequently asked about Tetradrachm

What is a tetradrachm?: A silver coin worth four drachms, about 16–17 g, used for large payments across the Seleucid, Parthian and Characene worlds.
Where were Parthian tetradrachms struck?: Almost entirely at Seleucia on the Tigris, the Greek-speaking commercial capital of the Parthian empire, and usually dated in the Seleucid era.
What is a Tetradrachm?: The Tetradrachm is a Persian and Iranian denomination represented by 12 catalogued examples dated 261 BCE – 281 CE. Large four-drachm silver of the Seleucid and Parthian courts, struck for prestige and payment. Examples here are struck in Silver, Billon at mints including Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra and 6 more.
How many Tetradrachm pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?: 12 items, dated 261 BCE – 281 CE, spread across 2 eras: Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire.
Which metals were used for Tetradrachm coinage?: Silver, Billon. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
Where were Tetradrachm coins minted?: Recorded mints include Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra, Antioch on the Orontes, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, Seleucia on the Tigris.