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Tetrachalkon - Artavasdes II Nike
| Issuer | Kingdom of Armenia |
|---|---|
| Year | 35 BC - 34 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetrachalkon (1⁄12) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Nike advancing left, her wings spread, holding a wreath in her outstretched right hand and a palm branch in her left, rendered in the Hellenistic style typical of late Armenian royal bronze coinage. The Greek royal legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΒΑΣIΛEΩN APTAYAZΔOY (of the King of Kings Artavasdes) is distributed around the figure in the field. The design reflects strong Hellenistic artistic influence, blending Greek iconography with Armenian royal titulature. The flan is irregularly shaped and the strike is somewhat off-center, consistent with hammered coinage of this era. |
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| Additional information |
Artavasdes II ruled Armenia as a client of Rome until Mark Antony's disastrous Parthian campaign of 36 BC exposed the limits of that alliance. When Antony's invasion collapsed in part due to the withdrawal of Armenian cavalry support, Antony held Artavasdes personally responsible. He lured the king to his camp under false pretenses in 34 BC, arrested him in chains, and paraded him through Alexandria — a deliberate inversion of the Roman triumph. This bronze was struck in the final window of Artavasdes' independent rule, before that humiliation.