Edmonton Numismatic Society

Where history comes alive

Edmonton Numismatic Society
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Executive
    • Shows
    • Awards
      • Coin-O-Rama Awards
      • J. Wray Eltom – Memorial Award
      • J. Wray Eltom – Personal Achievements
      • Jerome Remick III Literary Award
      • ENS – Award & Achievements
      • ENS – Volunteer Recognition Program
    • Exonumia
    • Contact Us
  • Shows
  • ENS Monthly Meetings
  • Membership
    • Members Benefits
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
  • The Planchet®
    • The Planchet® – Current
    • The Planchet® – Archived
    • Planchet® Submissions
    • Advertise in the Planchet ®
  • Resources
    • Guide to Coin Collecting
    • Buying, Selling and Appraising
    • “ENS” Supporting Dealer(s)
    • Coin Show & Events Calendar
    • Coin Clubs and Associations
    • Numismatic Articles
    • Numismatic News
    • Numismatic Literature
    • Numismatic Resource Links
  • Members
    • In Memoriam
    • Members’ Portal
      • Meeting Minutes
      • Board Meetings
      • Annual ENS BBQ
      • Numismatic Library

drachma of Vonones I

The WESTERN CANDIDATE
A drachma of Vonones I

By: Terrance Cheesman

The Kingdom of Parthia occupied what is today Iraq and Iran and for over two centuries was in conflict with the Roman Empire whose eastern provinces of Syria and Cappadocia were on the western frontier of that kingdom. Despite many bitter wars there was from time to time an interchange of ideas and religion beyond the usual interchange of goods. In fact the last known Olympic victor from the ancient games was a man named Arsaces, very likely a prince of the royal house of Parthia.

Initial Roman efforts to destroy this kingdom were met with disaster. In 53 B.C. a Roman army under the general ship of Licinius Crassius was destroyed near the city of Carrhae loosing all its standards. The Roman desire for revenge was entrusted to Marc Antony who while not being totally destroyed was less than victorious loosing even more standards. After Augustus had defeated Antony the job of restoring Roman pride fell to him. Augustus chooses not to invade but to regain the lost standards through diplomacy. Among the gift to the Parthian king Phraates IV was the slave girl Musa who became his favourite wife. This had the interesting result of some of the children of Phraates earlier wives fleeing to Rome.

One such was Vonones. In 2 B.C. Phraataces the son of Musa murdered his father Phraates and began to rule. They were not popular and were driven out in 4 A.D. In 8 A.D. the exiled prince Vonones was called back. However his life in Rome had made him an admirer of all things western and rather contemptuous of the habits and culture of the Parthian Kingdom. Again he was not very popular and a rebel Artabanus II, a man who absolutely rejected the culture of the west, eventually defeated him and took over the Parthian Kingdom. The coin we are looking at is a drachma minted by Vonones during his war with Artabanus. It is perhaps the least Parthian looking coin minted during this period. On the obverse we have a portrait of Vonones done in traditional Parthian style but with rather short hair and a legend, the only one found on a Parthian drachma, which reads BACIΛEYC ONWNHC. Translated this reads “King Vonones”. The reverse feature a victory advancing left holding a palm.

The legend reads BACIΛEYC ONWNHC NEIHCAC APTBANON, “King Vonones victorious over Artabanus”. This coin either refers to an initial victory over the rebellion or one that is anticipated. By 12 A.D. Artabanus had won and Vonones was back in exile.

 

Previously published in the ENS “The Planchet” Magazine Vol-57 Issue-01

Filed Under: Articles

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

About the ENS

The Edmonton Numismatic Society

The Edmonton Numismatic Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of fellow Numismatists in our local area of Edmonton, Alberta, as well as the rest of Canada and the world!

Become a member

New Membership

Membership with the ENS includes access to all our meetings and shows, as well as a free subscription to our award-winning newsletter, the Planchet!

Coin Show & Events Calendar

Provided here is a list of numismatic (coin) shows for both Canada and the USA, we strive to list all those that we are aware of. If you don't see your show listed, feel free to drop us an email with your show details to have your show listed in our "Coin show & Events Calendar.

Read More...

The Planchet © ~ Mar 2023 Issue

ENS award winning "The Planchet ©" A Numismatic publication offering info on society events, articles on coins, paper money, tokens and medals. In our March 2023 edition... Page 6 - The British Columbia Centennial Dollars// Page 10 - Hiketas and The Young Zeus // Page 19 - My Road to the Bells of Lübeck // Page 30 - Two Gold Staters from the Kingdom of the Bosporus

Read More...

The Planchet © – “ENS” Blog

Check out "The Planchet ©" a messaging blog, This blog has been created to facilitate communication and conversation amongst our ENS members by using the online chat, video conference and image sharing. Within this blogging platform we have included areas for general interest, discussion, buy/sell and wanted. The ENS reserves the right to moderate the content posted on this blog. Feel free to use our “contact us” page to email the ENS and let us know how this works for you!

Click here to create an account and join in...!

Join the ENS!

Sign up to become a member of the Edmonton Numismatic Society and receive a free subscription to our award winning numismatic magazine "The Planchet" is published 7 times a year!

Register Today!

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

  • About Us
  • Shows
  • ENS Monthly Meetings
  • Membership
  • The Planchet®
  • Resources
  • Members

Search

CONNECT WITH US…

Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram

Numismatic Articles

  • Canadian Numismatic Resources
  • 2022 ENS Hammered Token
  • A Good Decade for Cent Varieties
  • Le monnayage et les monnaies fautées
  • Pierre Napoléon Breton
Copyright © 2023 Edmonton Numismatic Society
X