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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Greek Coins| ▸ |Geographic - All Periods| ▸ |Armenia||View Options:  |  |  |   

Ancient Coins of Armenia

Historic Armenia, at the crossroads of the three continents, is a land of snow-clad mountains and deep valleys. Like most mountainous countries, Armenia was destined to be a poor land whose inhabitants survived solely through their courage. It was not until the twentieth century that history of Armenia was subjected to serious study. Until quite recently very little material was available for research or collecting.

Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes IV and Erato, Second Reign, c. 2 B.C. - 4 A.D.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Armenian| |Kingdom,| |Tigranes| |IV| |and| |Erato,| |Second| |Reign,| |c.| |2| |B.C.| |-| |4| |A.D.||dichalkon|
This remarkable type was only discovered in 1978. In 2014, one of the best examples to come to auction but still only aVF, realized $12,370 plus fees! In "Tigranes IV, V, and VI: New Attributions" in AJN 20 (2008), Frank Kovacs convincingly attributes this type to Tigranes IV and notes the view is of Mt. Ararat from the perspective of the city of Artaxata. The beardless portrait fits the youthful Tigranes IV and, although not visible on most examples, the legend on the reverse, φIΛOKAIΣAP, refers to the Armenian king's affection for his Roman ally, Augustus.
SH85956. Bronze dichalkon, Kovacs AJN 20 p. 340 and pl. 81, 5; Bedoukian CCA 128 (Tigranes II); Nercessian ACV 122 (Tigranes II); MDHRAC -, F, porous, weak legends not visible - as on most known specimens, weight 4.214 g, maximum diameter 19.1 mm, die axis 0o, Artaxata (Artashat, Armenia) mint, 2nd reign, c. 2 B.C.; obverse ...EME - TIΓPAN (or similar), jugate busts of Tigranes and Erato right, Tigranes draped and wearing a tall Armenian tiara with five point and ornamented with a star; reverse ΦIΛOKAIΣAP (friend of Caesar), twin peaks of Mount Ararat, as seen from the Armenian capital Artaxata, A (regnal year 1) below; extremely rare; SOLD


Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes V (Herodian Tigranes I), c. 6 - 12 A.D.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Armenian| |Kingdom,| |Tigranes| |V| |(Herodian| |Tigranes| |I),| |c.| |6| |-| |12| |A.D.||two| |chalkoi|
"The reign of Tigranes V has generally been described as uneventful; his coins are similarly unremarkable. They do not commemorate any historical or military events but merely copy designs common to the Seleucid and autonomous city coinage of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia. The standing Herakles/Vahagn, which was employed extensively by Tigranes the Great (CCA, 99-103), would have had particular appeal for the Phoenician population, as well as the Armenian." -- Frank L. Kovacs in "Tigranes IV, V, and VI: New Attributions"
SH76981. Bronze two chalkoi, Kovacs AJN 20 6, Nercessian ACV 158 (Tigranes IV), Bedoukian CCA 153 (same), VF, superb portrait, nice green patina, old scratch on obverse, weight 5.606 g, maximum diameter 21.7 mm, die axis 0o, Damascus(?) mint, c. 6 - 12 A.D.; obverse heavily bearded head of Tigranes IV right, wearing Armenian tiara; reverse BAΣIΛEΩC TIΓPANOY MEΓAΛOY, Herakles-Vahagn standing slightly left, nude, right hand resting on grounded club, Nemean lion skin draped over left arm; ex Pecunem Numismatik Naumann auction 34 (2 Aug 2015), lot 496 (price realized €522.50 including fees); rare; SOLD


Kingdom of Sophene, Armenia, Arsames II, c. 240 - 220 B.C.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Kingdom| |of| |Sophene,| |Armenia,| |Arsames| |II,| |c.| |240| |-| |220| |B.C.||two| |chalkoi|
The Kingdom of Sophene was a Hellenistic-era political entity situated between ancient Armenia and Syria. Ruled by the Orontid dynasty, the kingdom was culturally mixed with Greek, Armenian, Iranian, Syrian, Anatolian and Roman influences. Founded around the 3rd century B.C., the kingdom maintained independence until c. 95 B.C. when the Artaxiad king Tigranes the Great conquered the territories as part of his empire. Sophene laid near medieval Kharput, which is present day Elazig. Sophene_Map
SH66372. Bronze two chalkoi, Nercessian AC 7; Bedoukian ANSMN 28, 6, Nice F, weight 5.356 g, maximum diameter 19.5 mm, die axis 45o, Persepolis (Fars Province, Iran) mint, c. 240 - 220 B.C.; obverse diademed and draped bust right, wearing flat-topped tiara; reverse BAΣIΛEΩΣ APΣAMOY, Herakles standing facing, extending right hand, club over shoulder in left; very rare; SOLD


Kings of Galatia, Deiotaros, Tetrarch 63 - 59 B.C., King 59 - 40 B.C.

|Galatia|, |Kings| |of| |Galatia,| |Deiotaros,| |Tetrarch| |63| |-| |59| |B.C.,| |King| |59| |-| |40| |B.C.||AE| |27|
Deiotarus was chief of the Celtic Tolistobogii tribe in western Galatia and became King of Galatia. He was a faithful ally of Rome against Mithridates VI of Pontus, for which he was rewarded by Pompey. Caesar pardoned him for siding with Pompey in the civil war but he was deprived of some of his dominions. After Caesar's death, Mark Antony, for a large payment, publicly announced that, in accordance with instructions left by Caesar, Deiotarus was to resume possession of all the territory of which he had been deprived. When civil war broke out again, Deiotarus supported the anti-Caesarian party of Brutus and Cassius, but after the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C., he went over to the triumvirs. He retained his kingdom until his death at a very advanced age.
GB88403. Bronze AE 27, SNGvA 6103 (same countermark); Arslan K4; SNG BnF 2333; BMC Galatia p. 1, 1; HGC 7 774 (R2); see RPC I p. 536, aVF, countermark VF, dark brown and green patina, off center, reverse flattened opposite countermark, weight 12.715 g, maximum diameter 26.6 mm, die axis 0o, uncertain Phrygian mint, 59 - 40 B.C.; obverse bust of winged Nike right, hair in a bunch behind; countermark: turreted head of Tyche in round punch; reverse eagle standing right on a sheathed sword, wings open, head turned back left, flanked by pilei of the Dioscuri each with a star above, BAΣIΛEΩΣ above, ΔHIOTAPOV below; very rare; SOLD


Marcus Aurelius, 7 March 161 - 17 March 180 A.D.

|Marcus| |Aurelius|, |Marcus| |Aurelius,| |7| |March| |161| |-| |17| |March| |180| |A.D.||denarius|
In late summer or fall of 161, Vologases IV of Parthia captured the Roman client Kingdom of Armenia, expelled its king and installed his own; Pacorus, an Arsacid like himself. In 162, Lucius Verus began the war to recover Armenia and exact vengeance for Parthia's invasions of Armenia and Syria. The Armenian capital Artaxata was recovered in 163. At the end of 163, Verus took the title Armeniacus, despite having never personally seen combat. Marcus Aurelius initially declined to accept the title, but accepted it in 164.
RS97926. Silver denarius, apparently unpublished, RIC III 82 var. (laur. & cuir.), BMCRE IV 275 var. (same), RSC II 7c var. (same), Hunter II 24 var. (laur. hd.), SRCV II 4881, VF, well centered on a tight flan, light toning, mild scrapes, marks, tiny edge cracks, weight 3.118 g, maximum diameter 16.8 mm, die axis 45o, Rome mint, Dec 163 - Dec 164 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS, bare-headed, cuirassed, bust right; reverse P M TR P XVIII IMP II COS III, ARMEN in exergue, Armenia seated left on the ground, in mournful attitude, wearing cap, tunic and breeches to ankles, propping chin on right hand, right elbow bent and resting on raised right knee, vexillum and oval shield at her far side of legs on left, left hand resting on quiver on the ground behind; this is the only specimen of this variety known to FORVM; extremely rare; SOLD


Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes II the Great, 95 - 55 B.C.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Armenian| |Kingdom,| |Tigranes| |II| |the| |Great,| |95| |-| |55| |B.C.||AE| |18|
Tigranes was called "Tigranes the Great" by Plutarch. The "King of Kings" never appeared in public without having four kings attending him. At its height, Tigranes' empire extended from the Pontic Alps to Mesopotamia and from the Caspian to the Mediterranean. In 83 B.C., the Syrians offered him the crown and after conquering Phoenicia and Cilicia, he effectively ended the Seleucid Empire. His southern border reached as far as Akko-Ptolemais. The first Armenian ruler to issue coins, he adopted the Seleucid tradition and struck coins at Antioch and Damascus during his occupation of Syria from 83 to 69 B.C. In 66 B.C., Pompey advanced into Armenia with Tigranes' own son as an ally. Tigranes, now almost 75 years old, surrendered. Pompey treated him generously and returned part of his kingdom in return for 6,000 talents of silver. His unfaithful son was sent back to Rome as a prisoner. Tigranes continued to rule Armenia as an ally of Rome until his death in 55 B.C.
GB93607. Bronze AE 18, cf. Bedoukian CAA 95, Nercessian ACV 50, Kovacs 85, MDHRAC 85, aVF, tight flan, light corrosion, earthen encrustations, small edge split, weight 4.126 g, maximum diameter 18.4 mm, die axis 180o, Tigranocerta (near Diyarbakir, Turkey) mint, c. 57 B.C.; obverse bust right wearing Armenian tiara, five-pointed tiara ornamented with star between two eagles, top extends outside of dot circle; reverse Tyche seated right on rocks, turreted, palm frond in right hand, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right at her feet below, BAΣIΛΕΩΣ downward on right, BAΣIΛΕIΩN / TIΓPANOY in two downward lines on left, TP monogram high inner right, A above head of Orontes; this type appears to have been struck at various weights and references identify it as various denominations, from the Errett Bishop Collection; SOLD


Lucius Verus, 7 March 161 - February 169 A.D.

|Lucius| |Verus|, |Lucius| |Verus,| |7| |March| |161| |-| |February| |169| |A.D.||denarius|
In 164, Marcus Aurelius gave his daughter Lucilla in marriage to his co-emperor Lucius Verus.
RS84966. Silver denarius, RIC III 509, RSC 8, MIR 18, 69-14/10 corr. (obv. and rev. legends), SRCV II, VF, nice portrait, well centered, small edge crack, reverse struck with a cracked die, weight 3.338 g, maximum diameter 18.2 mm, die axis 0o, Rome mint, 164 A.D.; obverse L VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, bare head right; reverse TR P IIII IMP II COS II, Armenia seated left on ground in attitude of mourning, resting chin on right hand, right arm supported on elbow resting on raised right knee, shield and vexillum on the right (far side) of her legs; SOLD


Marcus Aurelius, 7 March 161 - 17 March 180 A.D.

|Marcus| |Aurelius|, |Marcus| |Aurelius,| |7| |March| |161| |-| |17| |March| |180| |A.D.||denarius|
In late summer or fall of 161, Vologases IV of Parthia captured the Roman client Kingdom of Armenia, expelled its king and installed his own; Pacorus, an Arsacid like himself. In 162, Lucius Verus began the war to recover Armenia and exact vengeance for Parthia's invasions of Armenia and Syria. The Armenian capital Artaxata was recovered in 163. At the end of 163, Verus took the title Armeniacus, despite having never personally seen combat. Marcus Aurelius initially declined to accept the title, but accepted it in 164.
RS67705. Silver denarius, RIC III 81, BMCRE IV 274, RSC II 7, Hunter II 19, SRCV II 4881, VF, weight 3.521 g, maximum diameter 18.5 mm, die axis 135o, Rome mint, 164 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS, laureate head right; reverse P M TR P XVIII IMP II COS III, ARMEN, Armenia in mournful attitude seated left on the ground, wearing a cap and draped, resting chin on right hand, right elbow on raised right knee, vexillum and shield at her right (far) side, left hand resting on quiver on the ground behind; SOLD


Kingdom of Sophene, Armenia, Arsames II, c. 240 - 220 B.C.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Kingdom| |of| |Sophene,| |Armenia,| |Arsames| |II,| |c.| |240| |-| |220| |B.C.||chalkous|
The Kingdom of Sophene was a Hellenistic-era political entity situated between ancient Armenia and Syria. Ruled by the Orontid dynasty, the kingdom was culturally mixed with Greek, Armenian, Iranian, Syrian, Anatolian and Roman influences. Founded around the 3rd century B.C., the kingdom maintained independence until c. 95 B.C. when the Artaxiad king Tigranes the Great conquered the territories as part of his empire. Sophene laid near medieval Kharput, which is present day Elazig. Sophene_Map
SH66374. Bronze chalkous, Nercessian Sophene 19; Nercessian 9 var. (same head right); Bedoukian ANSMN 28, 8 var. (same), aVF, weight 3.057 g, maximum diameter 16.4 mm, die axis 315o, Persepolis (Fars Province, Iran) mint, c. 240 - 220 B.C.; obverse diademed and draped bust left, wearing flat-topped tiara; reverse BAΣIΛEΩΣ APΣAMOY, caps of the Dioscuri, two stars above; extremely rare; SOLD


Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes II the Younger, 77 - 66 B.C.

|Armenian| |Kingdom|, |Armenian| |Kingdom,| |Tigranes| |II| |the| |Younger,| |77| |-| |66| |B.C.||4| |chalkoi|
Tigranes the Younger was the son and heir Tigranes the Elder (r. 95 - 55 B.C.). His mother was Cleopatra of Pontus, a daughter of Mithridates VI Eupator, the king of Pontus. In c.?66 B.C., Tigranes the Younger fell out with his father and fled to the Parthian monarch Phraates III. He agreed to help Phraates III take the Armenian throne in return for marrying his daughter. This marriage took place in 66/65 B.C. Phraates III and Tigranes the Younger led were initially successful in Armenia but their efforts were halted by a long siege at Artaxata. Phraates III put Tigranes the Younger in charge of the expedition, leaving him with some Parthian soldiers. Ultimately, Tigranes the Younger was defeated by his father, however, leading him to join Pompey instead. Tigranes the Elder soon surrendered to Pompey, who chose to allow him to retain his crown. Instead, Tigranes the Younger was made the ruler of Sophene with the assurance he would ascend to the Armenian throne after his father's death.
GY13137. Bronze 4 chalkoi, Kovacs 137, Nercessian ACV 51, Newell LSM 151, F, weight 7.750 g, maximum diameter 21.9 mm, die axis 0o, Tigranocerta (or Artagigarta?) mint, 71/70 - 70/69 B.C.; obverse head right, wearing Armenian tiara ornamented with a comet (comprised of a star and a bull's horn); reverse Antioch seated left on rock, turreted and draped, right extended, cornucopia in left hand, BAΣIΛEΩΣ downward on right, TIΓPANOY downward on left, ΘE / OΦ (controls) outer left; rare; SOLD




  




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REFERENCES

Babelon, E. Les Rois de Syrie, d'Arménie, et de Commagène, Catlogue de monnaies grecques de la Bibliothèque Nacionale. (Paris, 1890).
Langlois, V. Numismatique de l'Arménie. (Paris, 1859).
Bedoukian, P. "Coinage of the Armenian Kingdoms of Sophene and Commagene" in ANSMN 28 (New York, 1983).
Bedoukian, P. Coinage of the Artaxiads of Armenia. RNS Special Publication Number 10. (London, 1978).
Gardner, P. Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum, The Seleucid Kings of Syria. (Forni reprint, 1963).
Kovacs, F. "Additions and corrections to Armenian coins and their values" in Armenian Numismatic Journal 30/3 (2004).
Kovacs, F. Armenian Coinage in the Classical Period. CNS 10. (Lancaster, PA, 2016).
Kovacs, F. "Tigranes IV, V, and VI: New Attributions" in AJN 20 (2008).
Mousheghian, A. & G. Depeyrot. Hellenistic and Roman Armenian Coinage (1st c. BC - 1st c. AD). Moneta 15. (Wettern, 1999).
Mousheghian, K., et al. History and Coin Finds in Armenia: Coins from Duin, Capital of Armenia. Moneta 18. (Wetteren, 2000).
Nercessian, Y. Armenian Coins and Their Values. Armenian Numismatic Society, Special Publication No. 8. (Los Angeles, 1995).
Nercessian, Y. "Coinage of the Armenian Kingdom of Sophene (ca. 260-70 B.C.)" in Armenian Numismatic Journal 37.3 (Sep 2011).
Nercessian, Y. Silver Coinage of the Artaxiad Dynasty of Armenia. (Los Angeles, 2006).
Nercessian, Y. "Silver Coins of Artavasdes II of Armenia" in Armenian Numismatic Journal 29-1 (March 2003).
Nercessian, Y. "Silver Coins of Tigranes II of Armenia" in Armenian Numismatic Journal 26-3 & 4. (December 2000).
Nercessian, Y. "Tigranes the Great of Armenia and the Mint of Damascus" in Armenian Numismatic Journal 22-1 (March 1996).
Vardanyan, R. "A Dated Copper Coin of Artaxias II: Evidence on the Use of the Pompeyan Era in Artaxata" in Armenian Numismatic Journal XXVII (2001).

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