Artavasdes II inherited the Armenian throne in 55 BC following his father Tigranes the Great's death, and immediately found himself navigating the collision between Rome and Parthia. His 4 Chalkoi issues belong to a period when he was nominally allied with Rome yet would famously switch sides at Carrhae in 53 BC, abandoning Crassus — a betrayal, or a pragmatic calculation, depending on which ancient source you trust.
Kovacs 166 is among the scarcer bronze denominations from his reign, with surviving examples frequently showing uneven flans typical of Armenian provincial casting practice.
Artavasdes II inherited the Armenian throne in 55 BC following his father Tigranes the Great's death, and immediately found himself navigating the collision between Rome and Parthia. His 4 Chalkoi issues belong to a period when he was nominally allied with Rome yet would famously switch sides at Carrhae in 53 BC, abandoning Crassus — a betrayal, or a pragmatic calculation, depending on which ancient source you trust.
Kovacs 166 is among the scarcer bronze denominations from his reign, with surviving examples frequently showing uneven flans typical of Armenian provincial casting practice.