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Dichalkon - Tigranes II Herakles
| Issuer | Armenia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 80 BC - 68 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Tigranes II facing right, wearing the distinctive Armenian five-pointed tiara adorned with a star flanked by two eagles, the tiara secured by a diadem. The portrait is rendered in the Hellenistic tradition, with fine drapery visible at the shoulder. The king's features are idealized, conveying regal authority in keeping with court coinage of the period. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Tigranes II ruled the largest empire in Armenian history at its peak — stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean following his conquests in Syria and Mesopotamia — and his bronze coinage reflects the ambitions of a king who held the title "King of Kings." The Kovacs 82 dichalkon belongs to a municipal bronze tradition that continued even as Tigranes was simultaneously issuing silver tetradrachms from major urban mints like Tigranocerta, the capital he founded around 83 BC.
The series ends with Rome. Lucullus sacked Tigranocerta in 69 BC, effectively collapsing the western half of the empire and terminating civic bronze production at the mints under direct royal control.