Marcus Aurelius RIC III, 163

Marcus Aurelius AD 161-180
AR - Denar, 3.53g, 18.1mm, Rome summer-Dec. 166
obv. M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate head l.
rev. TRP XX IMP IIII COS III, Victoria standing facing, holding palmbranch in l., and with r. put shield with VIC PAR on a palmtree
RIC III, 163; C.878

The war against the Parthians AD 161-166:
The tension between Rome and the Parthians were growing due to the control over Armenia, the important buffer state, after the death of Antoninus and the uncertainties in Rome (two emperors!). Volagaeses III put his candidate on the throne. So Marc Aurel decided to send Lucius Verus, who has a bad reputation, and his best general Avidius Cassius. They succeded in catching and destroying towns and fortresses, f.e. Seleucia and Ctesiphon. The Roman advance was so quick that it reminds on Alexander the Great. AD 166 the Parthians surrendered and Rome could put his candidate on the Armenian throne.