Trajan, Rome Mint - AE Sestertius - Acknowledgement of Vologases as king of part of Armenia
Identifier
ANRO-1118; RIC-667
Reference Description
Trajan 98-117 AD
AE Sestertius, 116 AD, Rome Mint
Obv. Laureate and draped bust of Trajan right.
Rev. Trajan seated left on dais accompanied by the praetorian prefect, crowns Parthmaspates while on left Vologases kneels before them.
RIC-667
BMCRE- 1046
Kovacs-appendix B, 19
AE Sestertius, 116 AD, Rome Mint
Obv. Laureate and draped bust of Trajan right.
Rev. Trajan seated left on dais accompanied by the praetorian prefect, crowns Parthmaspates while on left Vologases kneels before them.
RIC-667
BMCRE- 1046
Kovacs-appendix B, 19
Recent Sales
Numismatica Ars Classica, Zurich Auction 51 Lot 268 (4 March 2009) Realized CHF 4,750
Notes
In AD 116, Roman Emperor Trajan installed Parthamaspates as a client king on the Parthian throne, symbolically marking Roman supremacy over the Parthian Empire. Concurrently, Trajan recognized Vologases as ruler over portions of Armenia, strategically acknowledging local authority to maintain regional stability and secure Roman influence.
The kneeling figure is normally identified as Parthia (Foss 1989, 105 no. 75); however, the figure's headdress is clearly an Armenian tiara, not the “Mauerkrone" described by Keller (2010, 601).
The kneeling figure is normally identified as Parthia (Foss 1989, 105 no. 75); however, the figure's headdress is clearly an Armenian tiara, not the “Mauerkrone" described by Keller (2010, 601).
Images
Archive Category
Citation
“Trajan, Rome Mint - AE Sestertius - Acknowledgement of Vologases as king of part of Armenia,” Armenian Numismatic Research Organization, accessed June 4, 2025, https://armnumres.org/index.php/items/show/1118.