Coins struck at Ecbatana
5 catalogued coins and notes attributed to Ecbatana, with weights, legends, dates and Wikimedia-sourced images across Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire.
In short
Ecbatana — modern Hamadan — was the Median capital and the summer residence of the Achaemenid kings, and one of the most productive mints of the Seleucid and Parthian periods in the Iranian highlands. Ecbatana is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 5 coins and notes struck between 187 BCE – 228 CE. Its output here covers Silver, Billon in the Drachm, Tetradrachm denominations, issued under Antiochus III, Antiochus VII Sidetes, Mithradates II and 2 more.
- Catalogued
- 5
- Eras
- 2
- Metals
- 2
- Denominations
- 2
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 5 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 187 BCE – 228 CE |
| Eras represented | Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire |
| Metals | Silver, Billon |
| Denominations | Drachm, Tetradrachm |
| Issuers | Antiochus III, Antiochus VII Sidetes, Mithradates II, Vologases VI, Artabanus IV (last Arsacid) |
| Modern name | Hamadan, Iran |
| Role | Median capital; Achaemenid summer capital |
| Coinage | Seleucid silver and bronze; Parthian drachms; Islamic dirhams |
| Identification | Mint monograms and highland engraving style |
The city
Herodotus describes Ecbatana ringed by seven concentric walls painted in different colours, the treasury of the Median kings. Under the Achaemenids it served as the summer capital, cool in the Zagros highlands while Susa and Babylon baked.
Its position on the road from Mesopotamia to the eastern plateau made it a natural administrative and monetary centre for every subsequent empire until the Islamic period, when it continued as Hamadan.
Its coinage
Seleucid Ecbatana struck silver tetradrachms and drachms plus substantial bronze, identifiable by mint monograms and by a distinct highland style — slightly heavier features and deeper relief than Antioch work.
Under the Parthians the mint produced drachms in quantity, and the Arsacid kings' association with the city is close enough that Ecbatana drachms form a large share of the surviving Parthian silver. Later, Islamic Hamadan struck dirhams and fulus under Abbasid, Buyid and Seljuq authority.
Seleucid Persia · 312 – 141 BCE
Era overview →Parthian (Arsacid) Empire · 247 BCE – 224 CE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Ecbatana
- Where was Ecbatana?
- At modern Hamadan in western Iran, in the Zagros highlands on the road between Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau.
- What coins were struck at Ecbatana?
- Seleucid tetradrachms, drachms and bronzes, large numbers of Parthian silver drachms, and later Islamic dirhams and copper as Hamadan.
- What coins were struck at Ecbatana?
- Ecbatana is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 5 coins and notes struck between 187 BCE – 228 CE. Its output here covers Silver, Billon in the Drachm, Tetradrachm denominations, issued under Antiochus III, Antiochus VII Sidetes, Mithradates II and 2 more.
- How many Ecbatana pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 5 items, dated 187 BCE – 228 CE, spread across 2 eras: Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire.
- Which metals were used for Ecbatana coinage?
- Silver, Billon. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Ecbatana?
- Drachm, Tetradrachm. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.