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Roman Provincial Coins from Mesopotamia and Babylonia
Philip I the Arab, February 244 - End of September 249 A.D., Nisibis, Mesopotamia
NEW Nisibis is the city of Netzivin in the Talmud. The Jews of Nisibis resisted the Roman conqueror, Trajan, to maintain Parthian rule. The city was taken only after a lengthy siege. After the it fell, Nisibis was laid waste and the massacre was so great that the houses, streets, and roads were strewn with corpses.RP112705. Bronze AE 25, RPC Online VIII U2787; SNG Cop 242; SNG Hunterian 2446; BMC Arabia p. 122, 17; Lindgren-Kovacs 2603; McClean 9557, VF, obv. off center on a very broad flan, toned bare copper, porosity, weight 10.033 g, maximum diameter 25.3 mm, die axis 0o, Nisibis (Nusaybin, Turkey) mint, 247 - 249 A.D.; obverse AYTOK K M IOUΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse IOY CEΠ KOΛΩ NECIBI MHT, tetrastyle temple with twisted columns; within arched central bay: statue of Tyche seated facing, ram (sign of Ares) leaping right with head turned back left above, river-god swimming right below; from the Michael Arslan Collection ; $90.00 SALE PRICE $81.00
Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Carrhae, Mesopotamia
Tyche (Greek for luck; the Roman equivalent was Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. Increasingly during the Hellenistic period, cities had their own specific iconic version of Tyche, wearing a mural crown (a crown like the walls of the city). RP112711. Bronze AE 31, RPC Online VII.2 3445 (3 spec.); BMC Arabia p. 89, 55; SNG Cop 187 var. (crescent above Tyche), aVF, off center, dark tone, porosity, weight 14.920 g, maximum diameter 30.5 mm, die axis 0o, Carrhae (Altinbasak, Turkey) mint, 243 - 244 A.D.; obverse AYTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse MHTP KOΛ KAPPHNWN, draped, veiled and turreted bust of Tyche left, before her satyr Marsyas standing right on short column, carrying wineskin over shoulder; first specimen of this type handled by Forum; scarce; $80.00 SALE PRICE $72.00
Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D., Edessa, Mesopotamia
During the sole reign of Caracalla a city known as Colonia Metropolis Antoniniana Aurelia Alexandria in Mesopotamia (Osrhoene) issued a series of small bronze coins with Latin legends. These types were attributed by Eckhel to Carrhae and numismatists long perpetuated this attribution. New finds and papyrological evidence instead point to Edessa as the site of this colonia and the mint for these small bronze coins, struck after Caracalla deposed its king, Severus Abgar IX, in 212/213 A.D.RP112082. Bronze AE 20, Dandrow 1/13 (O8/R10); Lindgren I 2565, Nice F, nice desert patina with highlighting earthen deposits, weight 4.642 g, maximum diameter 19.6 mm, die axis 180o, Mesopotamia, Edessa (Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey) mint, 212 - 8 Apr 217 A.D.; obverse M AVR ANTO-NINVS P F AVG (clockwise from upper right), laureate and bearded head right, bare shoulder visible from behind; reverse COL MET ANT-ONINIANA (clockwise from upper right), turreted, veiled, and draped bust of Tyche (city goddess) right; $80.00 SALE PRICE $72.00
Kingdom of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Abgar X with Gordian III, 242 - 243 A.D.
Abgar X Frahad bar Manu was raised to the throne when Gordian III recovered Mesopotamia from the Persians. His rule and the Kingdom of Edessa both ended with Gordian's assassination and a Sassanid takeover in 244 A.D. RY92576. Bronze AE 25, RPC Online VII.2 U3016; BMC Arabia p. 115, 148; Babelon Edessa 97; SNG Cop 226, SNG Hunterian 2576 var. (Gordian radiate), aVF, black patina with highlighting red earthen deposits, porosity, minor flan flaws lower obverse edge, porosity, scratches, reverse a little weak and off center, weight 8.128 g, maximum diameter 24.5 mm, die axis 0o, Mesopotamia, Edessa (Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey) mint, 242 - 243 A.D.; obverse AYTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC CEB, laureate bust of Gordian III right, slight drapery on left shoulder, star lower right; reverse ABΓAPOC BACIΛEYC, draped bust of Abgar right, bearded, wearing a diademed Parthian-style tiara, star behind; from the Errett Bishop Collection; SOLD
Kingdom of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Abgar X with Gordian III, 242 - 243 A.D.
Abgar X Frahad bar Manu was raised to the throne when Gordian III recovered Mesopotamia from the Persians. His rule and the Kingdom of Edessa both ended with Gordian's assassination and a Sassanid takeover in 244 A.D. RY92577. Bronze AE 20, RPC Online VII.2 U2973 (33 spec.); SNG Cop 227 corr. (says radiate); SNG Hunterian II 2582; BMC Arabia p. 116, 159; Babelon Edessa 102, aVF, near black patina, slightly off center on a tight flan, pitting, weight 6.336 g, maximum diameter 19.7 mm, die axis 180o, Mesopotamia, Edessa (Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey) mint, 242 - 243 A.D.; obverse AYTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC CEB, laureate bust of Gordian III right, slight drapery on left shoulder, no star; reverse ABΓAPOC BACIΛEYC, draped bust of Abgar right, bearded, wearing a diademed Parthian-style tiara, no star; from the Errett Bishop Collection; SOLD
Kingdom of Elymais, Orodes II, Early - Mid 2nd Century A.D.
Elymais was the biblical Elam and home of the magi. With its capitol at Susa, it was a small kingdom in what is now Iran and Kuwait. The Kingdom of Elymais struck coins from the middle of the 2nd century B.C. until their defeat by the Sasanians in 227 A.D.WA93629. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 13.1.1-1b; BMC Arabia p. 267, 64; Sunrise -, aVF, dark green patina, earthen highlighting, some porosity, edge crack, weight 3.777 g, maximum diameter 15.2 mm, die axis 0o, Early - Mid 2nd century A.D.; obverse bearded diademed bust facing, bunches of hair at sides and on top; to right, pellet inside crescent above anchor with double crossbar; reverse Aramaic legend: King Orodes, Son of Orodes, horned facing bust of Belos, large tufts of hair on each side of head, hair tied on top of head; from the Errett Bishop Collection; SOLD
Kingdom of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Abgar X with Gordian III, 242 - 243 A.D.
Abgar X Frahad bar Manu was raised to the throne when Gordian III recovered Mesopotamia from the Persians. His rule and the Kingdom of Edessa both ended with Gordian's assassination and a Sassanid takeover in 244 A.D. GB88990. Bronze AE 24, BMC Arabia p. 115, 148; Babelon Edessa 97; cf. SNG Cop 225 (draped and cuirassed), SNG Hunterian 2579 (same), aVF, dark patina with red earthen highlighting, tight flan, porous, weight 9.952 g, maximum diameter 23.2 mm, die axis 0o, Mesopotamia, Edessa (Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey) mint, 242 - 243 A.D.; obverse AYTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC CEB, laureate bust of Gordian III right, slight drapery on left shoulder, star lower right; reverse ABΓAPOC BACIΛEYC, draped bust of Abgar right, bearded, wearing a diademed Parthian-style tiara, star behind; ex Dmitry Markov Coins & Medals; SOLD
Kingdom of Elymais, Phraates, Early - Mid 2nd Century A.D.
Elymais was the biblical Elam and home of the magi. With its capitol at Susa, it was a small kingdom in what is now Iran and Kuwait. The Kingdom of Elymais struck coins from the middle of the 2nd century B.C. until their defeat by the Sasanians in 227 A.D.GB72554. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 14.6.1-3; BMC Arabia p. 272, 1 ff.; SGICV 5899, VF, clear reverse legend, encrustations, porous, weight 3.667 g, maximum diameter 14.9 mm, die axis 0o, obverse ΦPANT, bearded bust left wearing tiara with pellet in crescent; pellet inside crescent above anchor with one crossbar right; reverse BACIΛΕVC ΠPAATHC (blundered), Artemis standing right, not radiate, drawing arrow from quiver on shoulder with right hand, bow in left; SOLD
Trajan Decius, September 249 - June or July 251 A.D., Rhesaena, Mesopotamia
Rhesaena (numerous other variations of the ancient name include Rhesaina, Resaena) in the Roman province of Mesopotamia Secunda, was an important town in the far north of Mesopotamia, was on the way from Carrhae to Nicephorium, about eighty miles from Nisibis and forty from Dara, near the sources of the Chaboras (Khabur) River. Today, it is Ra's al-'Ayn, Syria. Gordian III fought the Persians nearby in 243, at the battle of Resaena. The city's coins show that it was a Roman colony from the time of Septimius Severus. The Notitia dignitatum (ed. Boecking, I, 400) lists it under the jurisdiction of the Dux of Osrhoene. Hierocles (Synecdemus, 714, 3) also locates it in Osrhoene but it was renamed Theodosiopolis. It was fortified by Justinian. In 1393, it was nearly destroyed by Tamerlane's troops.RB90731. Bronze AE 26, Castelin Rhesaena 87; SNG Cop 248; BMC Arabia p. 130, 30 var. (bust left), VF, attractive portrait, interesting reverse, porous, weight 12.10 g, maximum diameter 26.0 mm, die axis 180o, Rhesaena (Ra's al-'Ayn, Syria) mint, obverse AYT K Γ MΕKY ΔΕKIOC TPANTIANTNOC CΕB, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse XΕΠ KOΛ PHCAINHCIWN LIIIP, two Tyches clasping hands over lit altar; Aquarius on short column to left; centaur Sagittarius on right, advancing right, drawing bow; eagle above, open wings, head left, wreath in beak, river-god Chaboras swimming right in exergue; rare; SOLD
Kingdom of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Abgar X with Gordian III, 242 - 243 A.D.
Abgar X Frahad bar Manu was raised to the throne when Gordian III recovered Mesopotamia from the Persians. His rule and the Kingdom of Edessa both ended with Gordian's assassination and a Sassanid takeover in 244 A.D. RP55556. Bronze AE 25, SNG Cop 225; BMC Arabia p. 114, 144; SGICV 5745, gF, edge chip, pitting, weight 9.128 g, maximum diameter 24.5 mm, die axis 0o, Mesopotamia, Edessa (Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey) mint, obverse AYTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANTNOC CΕB, laureate bust of Gordian III right, drapery on left shoulder, star before; reverse ABΓAPOC BACIΛΕYC, draped bust of Abgar right, bearded, wearing a diademed Parthian-style tiara, star behind; ex Amphora Coins (David Hendin); SOLD
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