KINGS OF ELYMAIS. Tigraios, usurper, circa 138/7-133/2 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 29 mm, 16.47 g, 1 h), Susa. Diademed head of Tigraios to right; behind, monogram. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - TIΓPAIOY Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in his right hand and resting his left on grounded bow. Alram 447 = van't Haaff type 5.1. Extremely rare, one of a very few known examples. Smoothed and scratched, otherwise, good very fine.

Virtually nothing is known about the enigmatic Tigraios except for what his coins and circumstantial historical evidence tell us. About a decade before his rule, in circa 147/6 BC, a certain Kamnaskires established an independent realm in Elymais, until he was ousted by the Seleukid king, Demetrios II, who installed himself in Susa in 145/4 BC. Shortly afterwards, the king was forced to leave Elymais to defend his throne against Antiochos VI, however, and while the details are murky, it appears autonomous rule returned to the region for a few years until the Parthians invaded Elymais in force around 140/39 BC.

Despite their military success, the Parthians had overextended, and here Tigraios enters the stage as he captured Susa from the Parthians circa 138/7 BC and resisted their advance for the next four to five years. His coinage, which closely follows the Seleukid model, shows a refined portrait on the obverse and the emblematic Apollo-on-omphalos traditionally associated with the Seleukids on the reverse. Indeed, hearkening back to Seleukid precedents is a central feature of Elymaean coinage and forces us to rethink the position of the Elymaean rulers. They were no mere rebels against Seleukid authority, despite tragic past events such as Antiochos IV’s attack on the temple of Bēl-Marduk in 187 BC, but rather, we should think of them as pragmatic local rulers who claimed power to safeguard the interests of local elites against the encroaching Parthian threat. Indeed, the milieu for these men should be sought amongst the Elymaean nobility, perhaps even the powerful priestly families who administered the temple domains of southwestern Iran