Parthian Kingdom. AR drachm (19 mm, 3.38 g). Vologases I (c. 51- 78 CE). Obverse: Bearded and diademed bust left, Aramaic initials WL (for Vologases) behind head. Reverse: Seated archer right, somewhat degraded standard 7-line Greek legend around. Sellwood 71.1, Shore 377. This coin: Zurqieh, July 2026. Vologases I took the Parthian throne in early 51 CE. He may have been the son of the short-lived Pakoros II who had rebelled against Gotarzes II, and who then continued his father's work and overthrew Gotarzes. The best-attested part of Vologases' reign is the war he fought with Rome over control of Armenia (the usual cause of war between Rome and Parthia). The Roman general Corbulo had early success in 59-60, destroying the Armenian capitol city of Artaxata and capturing Tigranocerta. At the same time, Vologases faced a revolt in Hyrcania (southeast of the Caspian) which occupied him. After reaching a settlement in Hyrcania, Vologases in 62 won a major victory over the Romans, forcing them to withdraw and open peace negotiations. This resulted in Vologases' son traveling to Rome in 66 to receive the crown of Armenia from Nero, as well as permission and funds to rebuild Artaxata. Relations with Rome remained good for the rest of Vologases' reign; in early 69 he sent an offer to Vespasian to provide cavalry to support Vespasian in the civil war following Nero's death, and in 71 Vologases sent a golden crown to Titus in honor of his victory in the Jewish War. The time and circumstances of Vologases' death are unclear, but he seems to have died in late 77 or early 78. This drachm is notable for featuring the king's personal name (or at least the initials), which is infrequent on Parthian coins, as most kings merely repeated the dynastic title Arsakes. This has proved helpful in the long (and probably still incomplete) process of attributing the coinage to the correct rulers. Please post your coins of Vologases I, or whatever else is related.
