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Tetrachalkon - Vologases IV
| Issuer | Parthian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 147-191 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Bust of Vologases IV facing left, depicted with a long curled beard and wearing a royal tiara or diadem adorned with pellets, rendered in the characteristic late Parthian style. The portrait is set within a beaded or dotted border. The king's hair falls in long ringlets onto the shoulder, and the facial features, though worn, retain the distinctive Arsacid royal iconography. A partial Greek legend appears in the right field. |
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| Mintage | ND (147-191) |
| Additional information |
Vologases IV had one of the longer Parthian reigns, but it was anything but stable — he fought a catastrophic war against Rome under Lucius Verus beginning in 161 AD, losing Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and watching Ctesiphon sacked before a peace settlement ceded significant Mesopotamian territory. Bronze civic issues like this tetrachalkon continued flowing from eastern mints throughout the conflict, suggesting local economic life persisted even as the dynastic center buckled under Roman pressure.