Catalog
Hemichalkon - Artaxias I eagle
| Issuer | Armenia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 190 BC - 160 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 11 mm |
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| Obverse description | A crowned double-headed eagle displayed in the central field, wings spread, with a heraldic shield depicted on its chest. The design is executed in low relief consistent with hammered bronze coinage of the period. A surrounding border frames the central device. The flan is irregular and the strike uneven, typical of small-denomination ancient bronze issues. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Artaxias I founded the independent Armenian kingdom around 190 BC after the Seleucid defeat at Magnesia left the region effectively ungoverned, declaring himself king with the tacit approval of Rome. His coinage is extraordinarily rare — the hemichalkon denomination, the smallest bronze fraction in his series, survives in only a handful of documented examples, and Kovacs catalogued it with minimal die information precisely because so few specimens existed to study.