Catalog
Tetrachalkon - Tigranes II Tyche
| Issuer | Armenia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 80 BC - 68 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | Seated figure of Tyche facing left, depicted in a relaxed pose with drapery falling across the lap, holding a palm branch in the right hand as a symbol of victory and abundance. The figure is positioned centrally on the flan, flanked on both sides by the Greek royal legend arranged in vertical columns. The composition follows standard Hellenistic bronze coinage conventions for divine or allegorical reverse types associated with civic prosperity. |
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| Reverse lettering | BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN TIΓPANOY (Translation: Tigranes, king of the kings) |
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| Additional information |
Tigranes II ruled at the peak of Armenian imperial expansion, controlling territory stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean at its height — a domain larger than any Hellenistic successor state of his era. These bronzes were struck during the period when Tigranes held the grandiose title "King of Kings," adopted after his conquests in Mesopotamia and Syria. The series ends abruptly in 68 BC when Lucullus's Roman legions drove deep into Armenia, sacking Tigranocerta and effectively ending the empire's western ambitions.