Catalog
Æ18 - Tiraios II
| Issuer | Characene, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 49 BC |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Reverse description | Nike, the winged goddess of victory, depicted striding to the left with wings spread, her right arm extended forward presenting a wreath. The figure is rendered in the Hellenistic style with flowing drapery, and is flanked on either side by a vertical Greek inscription reading downward. The composition reflects the strong Seleucid artistic influence characteristic of the Characene kingdom coinage. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Characene was a semi-autonomous kingdom wedged between the Parthian empire and the Persian Gulf, controlling the mouth of the Tigris-Euphrates delta — a position that made it commercially vital and politically precarious. Tiraios II ruled during a period when Parthian hegemony over the region was essentially unchallenged, and Characene's coinage functioned as much as a declaration of local dynastic continuity as anything else.
BMC Greek #2 places this among the earliest attributed pieces for this ruler. Bronze issues from Characene are poorly documented in die studies, and survival rates are low enough that firm chronological sequences remain contested among specialists.