Araithes IX?

[cicerokid]

I think this Cappadocian Drachm from the Abbruzzi hoard is Ariathes IX, the son of Mithradates VI Eupator rather than Ariathes VI as identified by Margaret Thompson in 1961 NSSCA.

Simonetta , the expert on this got it all wrong and Morkholm and him had a real ding dong battle in the AJN or NC.Makes great reading! Basically Morkholm was right but I don't know how it finally ended up...anyone know?

Regards

John

[Altamura]

The coin you show is probably a tetradrachm, not a drachm. On Cappadocian drachms you don't have two lines of legend on the right side of the reverse.

Otto Mørkholm attributed this type in "Some Cappadocian problems", NC 1962, pp. 407-411, to Ariarathes IX as well as François de Callataÿ in "L'histoire des guerres mithridatiques vue par les monnaies", Louvain-la-Neuve 1997, P. 201.

This is the latest I know  .

Regards

Altamura

[cicerokid]

Thanks

You are right it is a rare tetradrachm although she doesn't specifically say so but the intent is there in her script. and she said Ariathes V not VI as I mistook it !


Yep the Simonetta book is the PLATE book but all the attributions are wrong.

trgards

John

[djmacdo]

Feuds like that seldom end with one side or the other being convinced of the other's point of vie.  A notable exception was Margaret Thompson eventually did come around to accepting the low chronology for the Athenian New Style silver issues, but even that took years.  Most often, both sides harden in their positions and the exchanges eventually cease.  It is the next generation that picks the winner.