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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2930667, member: 81887&quot;]I just can&#039;t get enough of those facing Parthians...</p><p>[ATTACH=full]711521[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom, mint of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris.&nbsp; Vologases IV (147-191 AD).&nbsp; AE dichalkoi (17mm, 4.29g).&nbsp; Obverse: Facing bust of Vologases IV, date 466 of the Seleucid Era (= 154 AD) to right.&nbsp; Reverse: Tyche seated left on column, palm branch before.&nbsp; Sellwood 84.142.&nbsp; Ex Agora Auctions Sale 70, lot 109.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vologases IV apparently took the throne peacefully in 147 AD.&nbsp; He successfully reconquered Characene, which had been ignoring its nominal Parthian overlords for a couple of decades, and may have collected together some of the Zoroastrian scriptures (it&#039;s not clear exactly which King Vologases did this).&nbsp; However, the main event of his reign was a war with Rome from 161 to 166.&nbsp; As usual, the war started over control of Armenia: Vologases invaded Armenia in 161, expelled its pro-Roman king, and installed his own puppet on the throne.&nbsp; Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus had just become co-emperors of Rome, and they quickly took action.&nbsp; Lucius Verus was sent with several legions to re-install a Roman client, and if possible seize Parthian territory in Mesopotamia.&nbsp; It seems Lucius Verus spent most of his time in Syria, well behind the front lines, leaving all the actual fighting to his subordinates.&nbsp; However, the Roman generals proved quite competent, and in addition to shifting Armenia back to Roman control, they re-established the semi-independent buffer kingdom of Osrhoene at Edessa, seized some territory in northern Mesopotamia to incorporate under Roman rule, and in 165 captured the major Parthian cities of Ctesiphon and Seleucia.&nbsp; This apparently forced Vologases to sue for peace, under terms which left Rome in possession of some new territory in northern Mesopotamia and client-kings in Edessa and Armenia, while Vologases got back the two cities (with the palace at Ctesiphon destroyed and much of Seleucia looted).&nbsp; Lucius Verus was awarded the title of Parthicus Maximus for his role in the war.&nbsp; Little is known of the latter part of Vologases&#039; reign, except that he suppressed the rebellion of Osroes II around 190.&nbsp; Vologases IV dies in 191 AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin was struck at Seleucia, which issued a lengthy series of bronze coins featuring Tyche on the reverse and which usually bear the year date.&nbsp; However, the reason for this variety featuring a facing bust portrait of the king, when Vologases IV&#039;s other coinage features a standard profile bust, is not known.&nbsp; Also, like many Parthian bronze coins, this shows evidence that the flan was originally cast in a strip, which was then cut apart into individual blanks.&nbsp; Although this is not a very pretty example, this type is fairly scarce, so I didn&#039;t want to pass up an opportunity when this was featured in Agora Auctions.&nbsp; Share your relevant coins here.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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