Persia, Parthian Silver Obol - 223 BC - Middle East

 These silver obols were struck by a sub-kingdom of the Parthian Empire known as the Kingdom of Persis. Each features the bust of a king on the obverse, with either Aramaic inscription or a fire altar on the reverse. The Parthian Empire covered most of the Middle East at it's greatest extent, nearly stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent. It was a major political power for nearly 500 years, acting as a center of trade and commerce along the Silk Road. The influence of Greek culture still existed in the region long after Alexander the Great's Middle Eastern campaign, but Islam still wouldn't arrive in the region for a few more centuries. The Parthians were frequently at war with their western neighbors, such as the Seleucids, the Scythians, and eventually the late Roman Empire. However, much of the empire's history is only known through external sources as few Parthian writings survive—making the study of coins like these all the more useful to understanding