Æ Tetradrachm - Maga

Characene, the semi-autonomous kingdom centered on Charax Spasinou at the head of the Persian Gulf, occupied an awkward political position between Parthia and Rome — nominally Parthian in allegiance but commercially oriented toward both empires simultaneously. Maga ruled during a period when this balancing act was becoming increasingly untenable, as Septimius Severus was actively campaigning in Mesopotamia. Bronze tetradrachms of this kingdom are genuinely scarce; Characene's output was modest and the region's climate has not been kind to surviving specimens.