A coin from Antioch on the banks of the Orontes River in Syria. The ruins of this city are near Antakya, Turkey. The Parthians are mostly known from the writings of their Greek and Roman enemies - not the writers you would trust to document Parthian society and achievements objectively. Even the Sasanians who succeeded them in the East in the 3rd century AD preferred to emphasize their ties to the Achaemenids rather than the Parthians who were a bit too Greek. Arsakes began the empire and his dynasty in the mid 3rd Century BC leading the Parni and capturing the neighboring region of Parthava. From there Parthia grew to be a powerful eastern rival to Rome. My coin of interest today is a 25mm 11.4g Tetrachalkon of Seleucis and Pieria, Antiochia ad Orontem. It can be dated by its legend although the date is off flan. It comes from a brief period where Pakoros son of Parthian King Orodes II was successful in pushing across the Euphrates into Roman territory in Syria and Asia Minor. Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antiochia ad Orontem, in the year of the Parthian occupation, 41/40 BC, Æ tetrachalkon, (25 mm, 11.39 g, 1 h). Although date is off flan, year 272 of the Seleucid era or 9 of the Caesarean Era (41/0 BC) is the only year issued Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right / ANTIOXHΩN THΣ MHTPO[ΠOΛ]HΩΣ THΣ IE[PAΣ] [K]AI AΣY[ΛOY], Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter; before, pileus surmounted by star on both sides; below, [BOΣ or Θ] (date) Rev: RPC 4223 or RPC 4224 These are not easy coins to read as the letters look more like scattered dots and even though this is a decent size flan (25mm), the words run off the coin. This second coin was issued by Orodes II and is described by Assar in the Sunrise Collection as probably issued to celebrate the victories of Pakoros in Gaza after successfully taking Antioch. AE coins like the first one, varying in the details, were issued under Seleucid rule, and under Roman rule after Pompey annexed Syria in 64 BC, and under Caesar after he defeated Pompey at Pharsalus; all have different dating systems. The coins during the Parthian occupation applied the Seleucid Era date 272. As always additional references, comments, and corrections are appreciated. A longer write-up with additional coins, references and context can be found on my Notes pages: Parthian Invasion, 40 BC. Please post your coins of this type (Zeus obv, and seated Zeus with Nike reverse) from any era or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.
Thanks John - I am hoping we will find a few variations in CT members collections - the number of different dating systems echos the turbulence in this region.
Antioch on the Orontes, AE 21-24 mm, 11.33 g, 12 h. Obv.: laureate head of Zeus right Rev.: ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕ[ΩΝ] ΤΗΣ (to r., downwards in two lines) ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕ[ΩΣ] (to l., downwards), ΙΘ (in exergue), Zeus seated l., holding Nike and sceptre; date in exergue; above Zeus, thunderbolt; in the field, l., a cornucopia; in the field r. between throne legs and sceptre a symbol; all within a laurel wreath. The date in exergue is almost entirely off flan, but there is still the top of the Θ. The reverse is within a laurel-wreath, so with this type and legend, according to RPC, it can only be RPC I 4216, year 19 = 48/7 BC. But on the RPC specimens there is nothing between the throne legs and the sceptre, while on this specimen there is something. Perhaps it is an unpublished variety. But I may have missed something. If you have the right ID, please tell me .
@GinoLR, thanks for adding this coin! The weight on a heavier standard (11.84g referenced in RPC) and the cornucopia on the left of throne also add support for your attribution to year 19 of the Pompeian era. Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus in June 48 BC and Julius Caesar visited Antioch in the spring of 47. The symbol on the right of throne is interesting and I also find no mention of it - perhaps unpublished variety.
