When Ardashir I defeated the Parthian army and killed Artabanus IV at the battle of Hormizdgan in A.D. 224, it signaled the end of the Parthian empire although elements of the Parthian army continued opposition until A.D. 227.
The coins of Artabanus IV were erroneously attributed to "Artavasdes" by Gardner, Petrowicz and Wroth due to a faulty translation of the Parthian Aramaic inscription.
See the article, " Identifying Look-alike Parthian Bronzes : Differentiating the Bronze Coins of Osroes II (c. A.D. 190) and Artabanus IV (c. A.D. 216 - 224)."
See the genealogy chart.
Click here to view the inscriptions on this king's coins.
The attributions and cataloging of Parthian coins used throughout this web site follow David Sellwood's An Introduction to the Coinage of Parthia (1980, 2nd edition) for consistency. The few exceptions to this policy are explained here.
Click on coin images to enlarge:
 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AR Drachm, 3.55 g Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks on crest, vertical line of pellets on stalks on side, behind head Pahlavi legend ('rtbnw); border of dots Rev/ archer seated right on throne, holding bow; first line of legend Pahlavi, remainder blundered Greek Photo/ by permission Henri Delger, Old Roman Coins for Special Collectors - Sellwood 89.1 - Shore 464 |
 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AR Drachm, 3.7 g Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks on crest, vertical line of pellets on stalks on side, behind head Pahlavi legend ('rtbnw); border of dots Rev/ archer seated right on throne, holding bow; first line of legend Pahlavi, remainder blundered Greek Photo/ by permission Sigma Ancient Coins - Sellwood 89.1 |
 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AR Drachm, 3.7 g Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks on crest, vertical line of pellets on stalks on side, behind head Pahlavi legend ('rtbnw); border of dots Rev/ archer seated right on throne, holding bow; first line of legend Pahlavi, remainder blundered Greek; monogram has crossed legs Photo/ by permission Rian Thum - Sellwood 89.3 |
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 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AR Drachm Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks round crest, star on side; no Pahlavi legend Rev/ archer seated right on throne, holding bow; first line of legend Pahlavi, remainder blundered Greek Photo/ by Chris Hopkins - Sellwood 90.1 - Shore 467 |
 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AR Drachm, 3.79 g Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks round crest, spiral of dots on side; no Pahlavi legend Rev/ archer seated right on throne, holding bow; first line of legend Pahlavi, remainder blundered Greek Note/ only one example known with this tiara Photo/ by permission Classical Numismatic Group (CNG 58, lot 800) - Sellwood 90.1 variant (spiral on tiara) |
 Artabanus IV
(c. A.D. 216 - 224)AE Chalkous, 1.11 g, 8 mm Mint/ Ecbatana, undated Obv/ bust left, medium forked beard, wearing tiara with ear flaps, pellets on stalks round crest, star on side Rev/ horned sea monster left; square dotted border - Sellwood 90.2 - Shore 642 (this coin) |
This page last updated 13 Mar 2021
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