The Roman Empire
Armenia Capta Issues
Denarius, Pergamum circa 19-18 BC, AR 3.52 g. Bare head r. Rev. ARMENIA / CAPTA Tiara on l. and bow case with quiver on r. C 12. BMC 673. RIC 515. CBN 997.
Very rare. Old cabinet tone and very fine Ex Gorny & Mosch sale 159, 2007, 360.

This lot and the next are two very difficult coins. There was never a battle for Armenia and poetic license was used for the claims of these issues. Perhaps their rarity can be attributed to even Augustus being embarrassed by the fact that he really didn’t ”capture” Armenia. Were these coins possibly recalled for reminting? MSG.

Translated from the Res Gestae of Augustus: ”When Artaxes, King of Greater Armenia, was killed, though I could have made it a province, I preferred, by the example of our elders, to hand over that kingdom to Tigranes, son of king Artavasdes, and grandson of king Tigranes, through Tiberius Nero, who was then my step-son. And the same nation, after revolting and rebelling, and subdued through my son Gaius, I handed over to be ruled by king Ariobarzanes son of Artabazus, king of the Medes, and after his death, to his son Artavasdes; and when he was killed, I sent Tigranes, who came from the royal clan of the Armenians, into that rule. I recovered all the provinces which lie across the Adriatic Sea to the east and Cyrene, with kings now possessing them in large part, and Sicily and Sardinia, which had been occupied earlier in the slave war.” The above description relates to the great trip taken to the eastern provinces by Augustus and Tiberius. As coinage shows us, clearly the major victory was the establishment of peace with the Parthians which included the return of captured soldiers as well as the military standards lost by Crassus in 53 BC. While the agreements made in Armenia were important to secure a safe eastern border, they received little notice on coinage. These issues are both difficult to find attesting to the event being clearly overshadowed by the Parthian peace. MSG.