Parthian Kingdom, Mithradatkart mint. AE tetrachalkoi (17 mm). Orodes II (c.57-38 BC). Obverse: Diademed bust left. Reverse: Bactrian (two-humped) camel on ground, standard seven-line Greek legend around, Mithradatkart mintmark before. Sellwood type 45 (unlisted reverse type). This coin: Stephen Album Auction 39, lot 25 (January 21-25, 2021). Orodes II was a son of the Parthian king Phraates III (c.70-57 BC). In 57 BC, Orodes and his brother Mithradates (called Mithradates III in older references, now believed to be IV) conspired to kill their father and take over the throne. The two brothers seem to have shared power for a short while, but soon quarreled, and within a couple of years Orodes killed Mithradates to become sole ruler. Orodes had several fights with the Romans, most notably at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC where the Parthians wiped out a large Roman force led by the triumvir Crassus. In 38 BC, his favorite son Pakoros was killed in battle in Roman Syria, forcing the distraught Orodes to choose a new heir. Unfortunately, the son he chose, Phraates IV, was quite bloodthirsty and promptly killed his father and other brothers to consolidate his grasp on power. The reverse features a camel, which is not a very common animal on ancient coins despite their importance in the ancient Near East. For example, it is recorded that the Parthian mounted archers at the Battle of Carrhae were resupplied with spare arrows brought by camels. This reverse type is not listed in Sellwood's catalogue, but does not seem to be very rare; I've seen a few other examples in the last few years. Please share your coins of Orodes II, or featuring camels (Bactrian or dromedary will both be accepted), or whatever else is related. (When I was writing this, autocorrect kept trying to turn "Battle of Carrhae" into "Battle of Carrie." Well, they both had rather bloody endings.)
Congratulations. Camels are indeed unusual on ancient coins. I have two: one Bactrian (two-humped) -- ironically, on a coin traditionally supposed to have been minted in Arabia Bostra -- and one dromedary, with one hump. Roman Republic, Aulus Plautius, AR Denarius, 55 BCE, Rome mint. Obv. Turreted head of Cybele right, A. PLAVTIVS before, AE[D CVR S C] behind [portion in brackets off flan] / Rev. “Bacchius the Jew” [ = Aristobulus II of Judaea?],* in attitude of supplication, kneeling beside saddled camel (dromedary - one hump) standing right, extending olive-branch with right hand and holding camel’s bridle with left hand, his cape flowing behind him; BACCHIVS in exergue, IVDAEVS on right. RSC I Plautia 13, Crawford 431/1, Sydenham 932, Sear RCV I 395 (ill.), Harlan, RRM II Ch. 18 at pp. 145-149, BMCRR 3916. 18x20 mm., 4.25 g. (Purchased from Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., 211th Buy or Bid Sale, May 2020, Lot 183.) * See Sear RCV I at p. 148: “Aulus Plautius strikes as curule aedile. The problematic interpretation of the reverse type appears to have been most successfully resolved by [Michael] Harlan in RRM [see Roman Republican Moneyers and Their Coins 63 BCE-49 BCE (2nd Revised Edition 2015), Ch. 18 at pp. 146-148] . . . who identifies the kneeling figure as Aristobulus [= Judah Aristobulus II of the Hasmonean Dynasty, d. ca. 49 BCE], the Jewish high priest, then held captive by Pompey in Rome.” Trajan AR Drachm, 115-Feb. 116 AD [before granting of Parthia title], Arabia Bostra (or Rome*) Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan right, with paludamentum, seen from rear, AYTOKP KAIC NЄP TPAIANѠ APICTѠ CƐB ΓƐPM ΔAK [equivalent of IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM DAC] / Rev. Bactrian (two-humped) camel, walking left, ΔHMAPX ЄΞ YΠATO ς [equivalent of TR P COS VI (sixth consulship)]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 4076 (2015); RPC Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/4076, SNG ANS VI 1158; Sydenham 205 [E. Sydenham, The Coinage of Caesarea in Cappadocia (1933)]. 19 mm., 3.10 g. Purchased from Kenneth W. Dorney. (Coin is double die match to Roma Numismatics Auction, May 21, 2013, Lot 767 [https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=474&lot=767]; image of that coin is reproduced as Plate 14, No. 7 in Woytek & Butcher article cited in note below.) * See Bernhard E. Woytek and Kevin Butcher, The Camel Drachms of Trajan in Context: Old Problems and a New Overstrike, The Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 175 (2015), pp. 117-136 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/43859784).
Reading back through Parthian posts that I've missed, I'll add another camel to the thread - although, I think the engraver didn't know the difference between a camel and an ostrich. Trajan, AD 98-117,Rome, Denarius AR Obv: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M T R P, laureate head right, with slight drapery Rev: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Arabia standing left, holding a branch and a bundle of cinnamon sticks; at her feet, a camel walking left Ref: RIC 142; RSC 89; BMC 297.
Just, Brilliant Stuff! For those tuning in late --and with apologies to @DonnaML, and everyone else who already knows this-- a similar motif was used to commemorate victories against the Nabataeans, within a handful of years. You can imagine ancient Italians circling right back to their medium of choice, for available precedent. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/227166
Are camels so rare in ancient coinage? The oldest ones are on rare Arabo-Philistine silver obols of the Persian period (4th c. BC) showing a camel-riding god. In c65 BC the city of Natounia in Adiabene (now in Iraqi Kurdistan) issued little bronzes with a head of Shamash and a camel riding god who must be Arsu. Some time after in Rome M. Aemilius Scaurus, as Curule Aedile, minted denarii commemorating the submission to Rome of the Nabataean king Aretas III. To figure an Arab king, the Romans made him kneeling in submission besides a camel with a saddle. Denarius of M. Aemilius Scaurus and P. Plautius Hypsaeus, Aed. Cur., Rome 58 BC. The exergue REX ARETAS is off-flan. This image was influential in Rome, and 3 years later in 55 Aulus Plautius issued other denarii showing the submission of Aristobulus (called "Bacchius"): the image was copied from the Scaurus denarii. The camel as symbol of Arabia came back on Roman coins in 111, under Trajan, to symbolize the annexation of the Nabataean kingdom in 106 and the creation of the new province of Arabia : the allegory of Arabia stands with a tiny camel at her feet. Trajan, dupondius. In exergue: ARAB ADQVIS But this trajanic camel coinage was not only a celebration, it was also a ambitious financial operation. In Rome the Arabia and camel reverse type was struck on gold aurei, silver denarii, bronze asses, dupondii and sestertii. It was perhaps also an Arabia-related coinage because, and it is very interesting IMO, several specimens of the Arabia adquisita sestertii have been found in excavations in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Trajanic sestertii are not abundant in the Middle East, it is noteworthy that among the very few found there, there are several Arabia sestertii... It was not all. From 111 to 114 the mint of Antioch issued enormous quantities of drachms with the same Arabia with camel type. These silver drachms have been attributed to Caesarea of Cappadocia, to Bostra or to an "Arabian mint": many specialists now agree on the hypothesis they were minted in Antioch, especially for Arabia. These drachms were the new province's currency in the continuation of the Nabataean silver currency, on which it was sometimes overstruck. In the same time in 111 light tetradrachms (c.11 g) with Greek legends and the Arabia with camel type were minted in Rome, for circulation in Arabia. From 114 to 116 other drachms and light tetradrachms were issued especially for Arabia at the mint of Rome: they show a two-humped Bactrian camel : This silver coinage specially minted in Antioch and in Rome for circulation in Arabia was not continued under Trajan's successors, but it had been produced in such quantities that it circulated there, together with Roman or Antiochene denarii, for at least a century. Under Hadrian, the little camel was depicted again besides the allegory of Arabia on the Restitutori Arabiae sestertii, but the camel is absent from his Adventui Aug. Arabiae sestertii. Camels have also been depicted on provincial coins. About 37-34 BC the propraetor L. Lollius minted coins in Cyrenaica with a camel on reverse, and this animal reappeared on Cyrenaica bronze coins under Tiberius. It is much later that in Arabia, under Antoninus Pius, when the civic mint of Bostra opened, small local coins (equivalent of a Roman quadrans) were minted with a camel on the reverse. Similar small bronzes were minted in Bostra under Commodus. Was this camel on Bostra coins a mere symbol of the province, like in Rome, or did he have another meaning for the people of Bostra? Under Elagabalus the South Syrian city of Canatha (in Arabia since Septimius Severus) issued bronze coins with the god Arsu riding a camel - the same type as the coins of Natounia almost 3 centuries ago... I think the latest Roman coin with a camel is a very interesting silver tetradrachm of the usurper Uranius Antoninus in Emesa, 253-254. It depicts a saddled camel and it seems to be an original unprecedented type, or was perhaps inspired by the old Scaurus denarii.
Here's my Trajan Arabia denarius. It was struck with a worn reverse die and the animal on the reverse is unclear but rather struthioniform.
CAMEL Arabia Petraea, Bostra. Trajan. CE 98-117. AR drachm (18.57 mm, 2.92 g, 8 h). Struck A.D. 114-116. Obv: AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANω APICTω CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAK, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Rev: ΔHMAPX EΞ UPAT ς, Arabia standing left holding branch and bundle of cinnamon sticks; at feet, camel left. Ref: SNG ANS 1158; SNG von Aulock 6408; Sydenham, Caesarea 205. VF. Ex Harlan J. Berk Ex Agora Roman Republic Aemilius Scaurus and Plautius Hypsaeus 58 BCE AR Denarius camel scorpion quadriga 4.1g 19mm Rome Craw 422-1b
Thanks to all contributors, especially @GinoLR for his thorough rundown of camels on ancient coins. Not sure if that qualifies as a "serious" thread (at least by the standards of a certain other forum) but I found it entertaining and informative. As to whether camels should be considered "rare" on ancient coins: While they are not as scarce as, say, rhinos or ostriches (for each of which I am aware of only one type featuring them), camels are scarcer than a lot of other animals like elephants or eagles. I do own examples of some previously-shown camel coins. Roman Republic featuring Aretas III: Trajan announcing the annexation of Nabataea, on both bronze and silver: (Oops! I guess this thread has lost all its seriousness, now that I'm just showing off my coins and trolling for more Likes. Why would anyone want to show pictures of their coins, in a forum dedicated to discussion of coins?)
I actually have four varieties of Trajan camel coins, but have written up only two of them, including the one I posted above in this thread with a Bactrian camel on the reverse. Here are the obverses and reverses of all four together: the two denarii on the top, and the two drachms on the bottom. Note that the denarius on the top left has an abbreviation in the reverse exergue referring to the acquisition of Arabia (ARAB ADQ = Arabia adquisita); the one on the top right does not. Hence, the one on the right seems to have been minted earlier. See Bernhard E. Woytek and Kevin Butcher, The Camel Drachms of Trajan in Context: Old Problems and a New Overstrike, The Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 175 (2015), pp. 117-136 at p. 117. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/43859784). The article narrows down the dates of the various types at p. 118: “The reverse design of the imperial coins celebrating the annexation of Arabia differs markedly from the iconography of the Dacia capta coinage, in a structural respect. While the latter shows bound captives or the mourning Dacia as well as heaps of arms, the image of Arabia is a peaceful one: she is depicted standing to the left, holding a branch of a local plant, probably of the myrrh- or frankincense-tree, in the right hand and a bundle of calamus odoratus [a/k/a acorus odoratus; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorus_calamus] in her left arm . Her attributes, local products widely known and used in the Roman world, convey a notion of the cultural and economic importance of the newly acquired territory. But the coins also depict the region’s iconic animal: to the left of the personification, there is a one humped Arabian camel. This depiction of Arabia and a camel not only occurs on imperial coins displaying some abbreviated form of the legend Arabia adquisita in the exergue, but also on Trajanic aureus and denarius types where the personification is unlabelled. The type seems to have been introduced on these unlabelled issues, which may broadly be dated to the years AD 108‒110, while the coins displaying an explanatory legend in the exergue were issued by the mint of Rome from about AD 111 to 112/113. [In the earlier issues] . . . the entire camel is to be seen to the left of the personification of the new province . . ., while later the animal is always partly hidden behind Arabia, and only its forepart (and the two forelegs) are visible.” And indeed, all four legs of the camel are visible on the top right, earlier denarius, as compared to only the two front legs of the camel on the top left, later denarius. However, I have no doubt that a camel was still intended on the later coin (not an ostrich!), given the clearly visible hump and (in my opinion) the camel-shaped head. As for the so-called "camel drachms" showing a two-humped Bactrian camel, like mine on the bottom left, posted earlier in this thread, those are addressed extensively in the Woytek & Butcher article, with the authors concluding based primarily on stylistic reasons that they were minted not in Arabia Bostra but elsewhere, presumably in Rome or Antioch, etc. As for drachms like the one on the bottom right, with a reverse depicting the figure of Arabia with a small camel by her side, akin to the denarii in the top row, Woytek & Butcher state the following at pp. 18-19 of the cited article: "Under Trajan, at least six different types of silver coins with Greek legends in two denominations were produced for Arabia: not only two different types of drachms (one of them in three successive issues), which continued the preferred silver denomination of the Nabataeans, but also four types of larger silver coins with a target weight of about 10.6g, probably light tetradrachms. The earliest of all these issues ‒ and indeed the only ‘Arabian’ issue struck during Trajan’s fifth consulship (AD 103‒111) ‒ were larger silver coins copying the reverse type of the imperial issues celebrating the annexation of Arabia, described above. These coins are of fine Roman style and consistently show a die-axis of c. 6 o’clock. The portrait type of the tetradrachms corresponds to portrait type D, according to the nomenclature of Trajanic coin portraits as laid out in one of these authors’ recently published systematic study of Trajan’s imperial coinage. This portrait type seems to have been introduced in c. AD 109, so that the Arabian tetradrachms featuring the personification of the province can be dated to c. AD 109‒11. They may thus be seen to have been issued concurrently with the earliest imperial issues depicting Arabia. Find evidence proves that these provincial silver coins circulated in the Levant." The theory that these drachms were issued concurrently with the earlier Arabia & camel denarii is, I think, supported by the fact that (like those denarii), the drachms show all four legs of the small camel standing next to Arabia. At least, mine does! Here is a photo of my example of these drachms. As I mentioned, no write-up yet! Here is my equivalent "early" Arabia & camel denarius: The write-up: Trajan AR Denarius, AD 108-110, Rome mint. Obv. Laureate bust right, drapery over left shoulder, IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P / Rev. Arabia standing left wearing long hooded cloak, holding branch of myrrh or frankincense with right hand and bundle of cinnamon sticks (or calamus odoratus; see fn.) with left hand; at her feet to left, an entire Arabian (one-humped) camel walking left, COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC. RIC II (old) 142, RSC II 89 (ill p. 86). 19 mm., 3.40 g. [Footnote re date of issue, citing Woytek & Butcher, omitted.] Finally, the later type of denarius with the reference to Arabia in the reverse exergue (ARAB ADQ), and only the camel's front legs showing. No write-up. (Dealer's photo; I haven't tried myself yet except in the group photo.)
I supposed, to bring it back to Parthians, I will add this coin. Around 114, Trajan set his sights on Parthia, both because they were a bit dysfunctional at the time and because he was irritated with the Parthians for kicking his buddy Tiridates off the throne of Armenia. Osroes had deposed Tiridates, installed by Nero, and replaced him with his nephew Axidares. Trajan decided to head to Antioch (Syria). Meherdotes and his son invaded Mesopotamia, then he died falling off his horse, and his son Sanatrukes became emperor. Trajan seeing an opportunity in Sanatrukes' disgruntled cousins, made Parmathaspates, son of Osroes, the King of Parthia. This coin (not mine - See AcSearch) celebrates this event: Reverse declaring: REX PARTHIS DATVS - a king given to Parthians There is no certainty on which Parthian issued this coin, but Assar (Sunshine) highlights some light evidence in John Malalas Book 11.6 p.145 (calling Sanatrukes "emperor of the Persians") which suggests that Sanatrukes was more likely in control of Ekbatana when this coin was minted. Parthian Empire, Sanatrukes / Parthamaspates (c. AD 116), AR Drachm, 3.85g, Ekbatana Obv: diademed bust left, wearing tiara with earflaps Rev: archer seated right on throne, holding bow, monogram beneath bow The Greek legend is garbled - here's what I see:some "King of Kings" and "Epiphanes" with lots of "blah blah": ΒΑIΙΛEΛ ΒΑIΙΛEΛ BAIIΛNOY VIXVIO I•IIIIII BB•IIII• ΠPΦANOY One other Trajan Note: Malalas (a page later on 146) mentions that Trajan was in Antioch when "the wrath of God struck" - reference to the earth quake that Trajan survived in Antioch....
Rhinos... On Roman coins there is only one rhino-type yes, showing the African rhinoceros displayed in the Colosseum during lavish games organized by Domitian. It is on different kinds of quadrans, most of them with the name of Domitian and one w/o date but with a laurel-branch on the reverse. It was imitated under Trajan on small coins from Alexandria dated LIZ. But there is also another completely different rhino in ancient numismatics, on an Indian gold coin of the 5th c. AD, extremely rare. Here is the example from the British Museum : https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1955-0407-1
