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Æ24 - Gordian III ΑΒΓΑΡΟϹ ΒΑϹΙΛΕΥϹ
| Issuer | Kingdom of Osroene, Edessa |
|---|---|
| Year | 239-242 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Bellinger & Wruck, SNG Copenhagen 215-220 var. |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Abgar X Phraates, king of Osroene, facing right, wearing a tall conical tiara ornamented with a diadem band, characteristic of Parthian-influenced Edessan royal portraiture. A star appears in the field behind the bust. The surrounding Greek legend ΑΒΓΑΡΟϹ ΒΑϹΙΛΕΥϹ identifies the local dynast as king, underscoring the dual authority expressed on this provincial coinage. The flan is irregular, consistent with provincial hammered bronze production of the period. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΑΒΓΑΡΟϹ ΒΑϹΙΛΕΥϹ |
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| Additional information |
Osroene was one of Rome's most politically awkward client kingdoms — nominally autonomous, heavily Romanized in its coinage, yet culturally and linguistically Aramaic. Abgar X Phraates, the king implied by the ΑΒΓΑΡΟϹ ΒΑϹΙΛΕΥϹ legend, was almost certainly the last of his dynasty; Osroene was absorbed directly into the Roman provincial system sometime around 240 AD, making issues struck in conjunction with Gordian III among the final coinages produced under any semblance of local royal authority. The pairing of emperor and client king on a single bronze issue is itself a compressed political record.