Moving Military Mint in the Vicinity of Tigranocerta c. 66/5 BC

In 66 BC, Rome’s campaign against King Tigranes II of Armenia reached its climax as General Pompey advanced into Armenia. Tigranes surrendered without a major battle, ending decades of Armenian support for Rome’s enemies. Pompey treated the Armenian king leniently: Tigranes was confirmed as client king of Armenia in exchange for a hefty indemnity of 6,000 talents of silver and the cession of his conquests. To weaken Armenian resistance, Pompey stripped Tigranes’ son of power – initially naming the son king of the border province Sophene, then soon imprisoning him after a suspected revolt.

In the aftermath, Pompey reorganized Armenia as a buffer state under Roman oversight. A telling artifact of this episode is a series of “pseudo-Philip” silver tetradrachms struck by a moving military mint accompanying Pompey’s army near Tigranocerta. The portable mint illustrates Rome’s logistical and diplomatic efforts: coins were minted on-site to pay troops and to circulate pro-Roman currency in newly subdued regions.

By the end of 65 BC, Pompey had secured Armenia’s submission and converted the once-hostile kingdom into a client ally, laying the groundwork for a century of alternating Roman-Parthian influence over the Armenian throne.