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Æ - Antiochus IV
| Issuer | Kingdom of Commagene |
|---|---|
| Year | 38-72 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.92 g |
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| Obverse description | Dextrarum iunctio (clasped right hands) depicted horizontally across the field, symbolizing concord and alliance, with a caduceus — the winged herald's staff surmounted by intertwined serpents — held between the joined hands. The Greek legend ΠΙΣΤΙΣ (Faith) is inscribed in the field around the central device, distributed across the upper and lower portions of the flan. The composition is bold and deeply struck in the Hellenistic tradition, with the motif filling the available field of this small irregular flan. |
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| Reverse description | A large anchor displayed upright and prominently in the center of the field, with curved flukes at the base and a ring at the top, serving as a dynastic symbol of the Seleucid heritage claimed by the Commagenian royal house. The Greek ethnic legend ΚΟΜΜΑΓΗΝΩΝ (of the Commagenians) is inscribed along the right side of the field in a vertical arrangement. The anchor is rendered in a bold, slightly schematic Hellenistic style consistent with the small module bronze coinage of the region. |
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| Additional information |
Antiochus IV of Commagene had one of the more turbulent relationships with Rome of any client king — restored to his throne by Caligula in 38 AD after his father's kingdom had been briefly absorbed into the province of Syria, he ruled for over three decades before Vespasian finally deposed him in 72 AD following accusations, likely politically motivated, of colluding with Parthia. His coinage spans that entire precarious stretch, issued by a kingdom that existed largely at Roman sufferance.