The Kingdom of Elymais

Elymais, or Elam, was a small kingdom with an ancient history located in the foothills of the Zagros mountains. Susa was its capital and a major trade center. After a short period of independence under Kamnaskares I after the battle of Apamea in 188 BC Elymais was conquered by the Parthians during the reign of Mithradates I. During the internal disruption following the death of Mithradates II in 88 BC, Kamnaskares II was able to restore a measure of Elamite independence, and his dynasty was to endure until about 100 AD when it was replaced by an Arsacid dynasty. The early coinage was of Seleucid style tetradrachms in good silver followed fairly soon by debased tetradrachms drachms of increasingly eastern style using Pahlavi for the inscriptions. Elymaien coinage continued down to the overthrow of the Parthian empire by the Sassanians.