Fine Coins Showcase
Antiquities Showcase
Show Empty Categories
Shop Search
Shopping Cart
My FORVM
Contact Us
About Forum
Shopping at Forum
Our Guarantee
Payment Options
Shipping Options & Fees
Privacy & Security
Forum Staff
Selling Your Coins
Identifying Your Coin
FAQs
zoom.asp
Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Greek Coins| ▸ |Geographic - All Periods| ▸ |Armenia||View Options:   | | | 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. |
The legend on the reverse is blundered, probably Aramaic, though some have identified it as pseudo Greek. In any case, it is illegible on all of the, about a dozen, examples known to FORVM. Without a legible inscription, the king and his queen are unidentified and likely to remain so.GB98190. Bronze AE 12, Unpublished, Kovacs -, et al. -, VF, dark patina, well centered, uneven strike with bottom weak on both sides, weight 1.067 g, maximum diameter 11.6 mm, die axis 0o, c. 2nd century B.C.; obverse head of Armenian king left, wearing bashlyk tied with a diadem, uncertain Aramaic legend around; reverse draped bust of uncertain queen to right; about a dozen known to FORVM; $215.00 (€197.80)
Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes II the Great, 95 - 55 B.C.
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.SH71010. Bronze chalkous, Nercessian AC 51, Bedoukian CCA 92, MDHRAC 24 (Nercessian and Bedoukian list as a tetrachalkon), VF, nice green patina, overstruck (commonly on a coin of Arados), weight 6.568 g, maximum diameter 21.3 mm, die axis 0o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, c. 70 - 66 B.C.; obverse bust right wearing Armenian tiara, five-pointed tiara ornamented with star between two eagles, top extends outside of dot circle; reverse BAΣIΛΕΩΣ - BAΣIΛΕIΩN / TIΓPANOY, Tyche seated right on rocks, turreted, holding palm frond in right, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right at her feet below, no letters or monograms in fields; SOLD
Kingdom of Commagene, Julia Iotape, 38 - 72 A.D.
Iotape was the daughter of Antiochus III and Iotapa, the king and queen of Commagene. Her parents were full-blooded siblings and direct descendants of the Seleucid kings. Iotapa and her brother Antiochus IV were very young when their father died in 17 A.D. Tiberius agreed with the citizens of Commagene to make their Kingdom a part of the Roman province of Syria. From 17 until 38, Iotapa and her brother were raised in Rome, members of the remarkable court of Antonia Minor. Antonia Minor was a niece of Augustus and the youngest daughter of Mark Antony. She was very influential and supervised her circle of various princes and princesses, assisting in the political preservation of the Empire’s borders, and the affairs of client states. In 38, Caligula returned Antiochus IV and Iotape to the throne of Commagene. In addition, Caligula enlarged their territory with a part of Cilicia bordering on the seacoast and gave them one million gold pieces, the total amount of revenue collected from Commagene during the twenty years that it had been under Syria. The reason for his extraordinary generosity is unknown. Perhaps it was just a stroke of Caligula's well-attested eccentricity. Iotapa and Antiochus IV married and had three children. Iotapa died before Commagene was annexed by Vespasian in 72. When she died, Antiochus IV founded a town called Iotapa in her honor (modern Aytap, Turkey).GB84499. Bronze AE 26, Lindgren-Kovacs 1887 (same countermark); RPC I 3858; BMC Galatia p. 109, 4; Nercessian AC -; SNG Cop VII 5; countermark: Howgego 403 (after 69 A.D.), VF, straight edge flan, weight 15.289 g, maximum diameter 25.8 mm, die axis 0o, Samosata (site now flooded by the Atatürk Dam) mint, 66 - 72 B.C.; obverse BANTΣIΛIΣΣANT IΩTANTΠH ΦIΛANTΔΕΛΦOΣ (of Queen Iotape Philadelphus), diademed and draped bust of Iotape to right, countermark: crossed cornucopias; reverse KOMMAΓ-HNΩN, scorpion and inscription all within laurel wreath; from the Dr. Sam Mansourati Collection; scarce; SOLD
Kingdom of Sophene, Armenia, Mithradates I, c. 150 - 119 B.C.
| 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. |  |
Kingdom of Sophene, Armenia, Arsames II, c. 240 - 220 B.C.
| 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. | |
Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes II the Great, 95 - 55 B.C.
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
Kingdom of Sophene, Armenia, Arsames II, c. 240 - 220 B.C.
| 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. | |
Armenian Kingdom, Tigranes II the Younger, 77 - 66 B.C.
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
Crusaders, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Levon I the Magnificent, 1198 - 1219 A.D.
Leo II, or Lewon I, Levon I, and sometimes Levon I the Magnificent, was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” 1187-1198 - 1199 and the first king of Armenian Cilicia. During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian state with a preeminence in political affairs. Leo eagerly led his kingdom alongside the armies of the Third Crusade and provided the crusaders with provisions, guides, pack animals and all manner of aid. Under his rule, Armenian power in Cilicia was at its apogee: his kingdom extended from Isauria to the Amanus MountainsCR89016. Silver tram, Nercessian 282 ff., gVF, toned, weight 2.869 g, maximum diameter 21.9 mm, die axis 270o, Armenia mint, obverse Armenian legend: Levon King of the Armenians, king seated on throne ornamented with lions, his feet resting on a footstool, wearing a crown and royal mantle on his shoulders, cross in right hand, fleur-de-lis in left hand; reverse Armenian legend: By the will of God, long cross with two bars, between two rampant lions facing outward, heads regardant; ex Münzenhandlung Brom (Berlin, Germany); SOLD
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS CATEGORY - FORVM's PRIOR SALES
REFERENCES
Page created in 1.093 seconds.
