Catalog
Dichalkon - Mithridates II Philopator
| Issuer | Kingdom of Armenia Minor |
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| Year | 89 BC - 85 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and draped bust of Mithridates II Philopator facing left, wearing the distinctive Armenian bashlyk headdress secured with a diadem. The portrait is rendered in the Hellenistic tradition, with fine engraving conveying the royal drapery across the shoulder. The fillet ends of the diadem fall behind the neck. The field is plain, with no surrounding legend on the obverse. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Mithridates II Philopator ruled Armenia Minor as a client of Pontus during a period when Mithridates VI of Pontus was aggressively consolidating control over the smaller Armenian kingdoms. The epithet Philopator — "father-loving" — was likely a political signal of dynastic loyalty rather than personal sentiment, a common device among subordinate rulers in the Pontic sphere seeking to project legitimacy.
Kovacs 36 is among the scarcer bronzes of the series. Armenia Minor's output was limited by the kingdom's small size and short-lived autonomy before full absorption into the broader Pontic administrative structure.