Birds of Feather, Brothers in Arms: The Coinage of Andragoras and Sophytes.

Analysis of the owl, eagle and cockerel coinage previously attributed to Sophytes indicates that it is most probably associated with that of Andragoras, the Seleucid satrap of Parthia who led the secession of the province from the Seleucid realm. The numismatic evidence suggests that following the death of Andragoras, the leadership of Parthia was assumed briefly by Sophytes before the province was completely overrun by the nomadic Parni around 238 BC. This coinage has a number of unusual characteristics. It was struck across eleven typological series in the period c. 250-238 BC. It is composed of a comprehensive range of silver denominations, including uniquely in the Hellenistic east, the didrachm. Nominally struck on a reduced Attic weight standard, defined by a tetradrachm of about 16.8 grams, each smaller denomination was weight adjusted to include a progressively increasing fiduciary component of value. These characteristics are indicative of a local coinage, motivated by political expediency in meeting a monetary necessity arising from Seleucid neglect.