Catalog
Æ 17 - Mithradates III
| Issuer | Kingdom of Commagene |
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| Year | 20 BC - 12 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Greek royal legend arranged in three horizontal lines across the field, reading ΒΑΜΕ / ΜΤΟΥ / Μ, an abbreviation of the royal title and name of Mithradates III. The inscription is rendered in bold Greek capitals and occupies the central field of the coin. The entire design is enclosed within a dotted border following the coin's irregular flan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Commagene occupied a strategically awkward position between Rome and Parthia, and its kings were practiced at performing loyalty to whichever power was closer and angrier. Mithradates III ruled during a period when Augustus was consolidating Roman influence across the eastern frontier, and Commagene's semi-autonomous status depended on careful diplomacy rather than military strength. The kingdom would be annexed outright by Vespasian in 72 AD, but these bronzes circulated in a polity that genuinely believed it might survive indefinitely as a buffer state.
The Alram and Kovacs references place this type among the poorly documented small bronzes of the dynasty — Kovacs cites it only in a note, suggesting the series remains incompletely catalogued.