The Roman Empire
Domitian


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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC Ch MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

In ancient times, the Silk Road was a vitally important trading route between the Mediterranean Basin and the Far East. Along this route were lands comprising modern day Iran and Iraq. The area grew in importance in mid first millennium BC, as part of the great Achaemenid Empire. By mid 3rd century BC, the territory was a satrap of the Seleucid Empire, until Arsaces I, leader of the Central Asian nomadic tribe known as the Parthians, led a rebellion. Arsaces was successful in founding his own Parthian Kingdom, and sat atop an extensive feudal system where sub-kings and satraps were delegated various powers. Arsaces and his clan of Parthians were renowned as warriors, and experts with the bow and the horse. Given their warrior nature, the Parthians were (unfortunately) not keen on writing down their own history. Much of today’s knowledge about Parthian history comes from the writings of their enemies, for example the Romans, and is therefore subject to bias. We know some information from their coins, however, most kings omitted their names and simply re-employed “Arsaces,” which came to mean “King of Kings,” similar to “Augustus” on Roman coins. Early legends were in Greek but as time passed these letters become increasingly illegible. Some later issues bear personal names in Aramaic letters. This particular coin is a drachm, and based on its design was issued under King Vologases III, who reigned from 105-147 AD. The Parthian Kingdom was in midst of civil war at this time, and pressured on its borders, particularly in Mesopotamia to the west. This area was in conflict with Augustus Trajan, who managed to extend his powerful Roman Empire eastward, until he died in 117 AD. The Parthians were often at war with the Romans, who retreated westward over time and never again held land as far eastward as under Trajan. Vologases III himself battled not only against Augustus Trajan, but later against Hadrian, and then Antonius Pius. None of these Augusti managed to defeat Vologases. Moreover, the Parthians were never conquered by the Rome, and that is saying something about their prowess as warriors. Under Vologases III’s long rule, the core Parthian Kingdom continued to prosper and reap the benefits of its strategic position along the Silk Road, as evidenced by prolific coinage. This coin is from that time, and is one of many similar designs showing the monarch’s left profile; among his prominent features are a long pointed beard and a three-tiered diadem with a loop at the top. The verso is also a classic Parthian motif: a throned figure, presumably Arsaces I, holding a bow, with a blundered Greek legend below. Like the majority of Parthian art, architecture, and religious beliefs, this coin depicts a melting pot of various Persian, Hellenistic, and regional cultural styles. With their considerable prowess as warriors, the Arsacid dynasty and their Parthian Empire managed to hold its own against foreign invasions for many centuries. In the end, it was internal strife and civil wars that ultimately led to downfall and transformation into the Sassanid Empire in early third century AD. There are few remaining records of these remarkable people, and the coinage they left behind is an important part of their legacy. Coin Details: PARTHIAN KINGDOM, Vologases III, 105-147 AD, AR Drachm (3.53 g), Ecbatana mint(?), NGC Grade: Ch MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: bare-headed bust of king facing left, with long pointed beard and an earring visible, wearing a diadem with a loop on the back of the head and three ends; border of dots, Reverse: Legend surrounding enthroned archer, and monogram, References: Sellwood 78 (no exact match found, but the design is similar to many of the series).

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