Claudius 41-54 AD - AR Didrachm - RPC-I-3629

Claudius 41-54 AD
AR Didrachm, Caesareia, Cappadocia
Obv. GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVG F COS II
Head of Germanicus, bare, right.
Rev. ARTAXIAS GERMANICVS
Germanicus on right, standing nearly to front, head to left, holding spear in left hand and with right hand placing a tiara on head of Artaxias, who stands to front on left, raising his right hand to his head, as if to adjust tiara.
RIC-59
BMCRE-104
RPC-I-3629

Germanicus was the nephew of Tiberius. In the second half of 1st century AD, in the time of commotion in Asia Minor, Tiberius sent his nephew there to deal with the affairs, where he hoped that Germanicus would be exposed to treachery and disasters. Unfortunate for his uncle, Germanicus succeeded in conquering Commagene and Cappadocia, and turning them into Roman Provinces. In 18 AD Germanicus crowned Zeno, the son of Polemo I of Pontus and Pythodoris, as King of Armenia, by the name Artaxias (III). He was named after the city he was proclaimed king in, Artaxata.


Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I, pp. 107

Tiberius had established a mint at Caesarea in Cappadocia, presumably for military purposes, striking drachmae in AD 32-4, and Gaius continued to operate it, for didrachms (undated) and drachmae (some of AD 37-8). Those attributable to this date bear Gaius' supplementary (including priestly) titles on the reverse, with TR POT and priestly emblems.
Of the other coins, one didrachm recalls on its reverse Germanicus' setting up of Artaxias as a Roman vassal in Armenia twenty years earlier,' in AD 18; and drachmae with obverse bearing the portrait and titles of Germanicus refer by their reverse portrait to Divus Augustus. Most of these coins are scarce or rare, but presumably they were enough to serve the military establishment in the province.