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Chalkous - Tigranes II the Great Cornucopia
| Issuer | Armenia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 80 BC - 68 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Reverse description | A cornucopia abundantly filled with fruits and tied at its base with a decorative fillet, depicted upright in the field. The monograms A and ΔΗ appear in the left and right fields respectively, likely denoting mint or magistrate identifiers. The Greek royal legend encircles the central device, proclaiming the full titulature of the issuing monarch in formal Hellenistic epigraphic style. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Tigranes II ruled at the peak of Armenian power, controlling territory stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean after his conquest of Syria in 83 BC — making him, briefly, the most powerful ruler in the Near East outside of Parthia. Bronze civic coinage of this type circulated through a kingdom that Tigranes administered from his newly founded capital, Tigranocerta, a city he reportedly populated by force-relocating inhabitants from twelve conquered Greek cities.
The date range on this issue closes with the Roman campaign under Lucullus, which sacked Tigranocerta in 69 BC and ended the expansionist phase of the reign entirely.