RPC I, 3842

 

Image of specimen #3

 

Coin type
Volume I
Number 3842
Province Kingdom of Armenia
Region Armenia
City Artaxata
Reign Uncertain
Person (obv.) Tigranes III (king) ; Tigranes V (king)
Person (rev.) Erato (queen)
Issue Tigranes III? or V?
Dating c. 10/5 BC or c.AD 6
Obverse inscription ΒΑϹΙΛΕΥϹ ΜΕΓΑϹ ΝΕΟϹ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΗϹ
Edition Βασιλεὺς Μέγας Νέος Τιγράνης Βασιλεὺς Μέγας Νέος Τιγράνης
Translation Great King New Tigranes
Obverse design bust of Tigranes III (?) or V (?), wearing diadem and tiara, right
Reverse inscription ΕΡΑΤΩ ΒΑϹΙΛΕΩϹ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΟΥ ΑΔΕΛΦΗ
Edition Ἐρατὼ βασιλέως Τιγράνου ἀδελφή Ἐρατὼ βασιλέως Τιγράνου ἀδελφή
Translation Erato, sister of king Tigranes
Reverse design draped bust of Erato, left
Metal copper-based alloy
Average diameter 21 mm
Average weight 6.83 g
Axis 12
Reference Bedoukian 165–6, Kovacs 179
Specimens 3 (2 in the core collections)
Note The rev. legend on 2 reads ΒΑϹΙΛƐΥϹ ΒΑϹΙΛƐWΝ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΗϹ: as Bedoukian (p. 39) remarks, the title 'king of kings' is unexpected, and in fact the legend does not really look authentic. It seems that it may have been altered from the normal reading, which occurs on the Glasgow coin and on 3841.
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Specimens of this coin type

# Specimen Museum Bibliography
1 1     G Vol. III, p. 4, and pl. LXIII.6 = SNG 2389
2 2     P Bab 30 (pl. XXIX.21)
3 3     ✸ Leu 19, 18 Oct. 2025, lot 82