From the history of Armenian coins.
First Armenian coins
The
coins of kings of Sophene (Tsopk) dated to the second half of the 3rd century
BC are believed to the first Armenian coins.
The history of Armenian money is rich, diverse and interesting. Armenians are undoubtedly one of the nations with the ancient money history, as the territory of historical Armenia was in the vicinity of the birthplace of the first antique coins. Coinage, which is considered to be a major event in the development of society, started approximately at the end of the 8th or at the beginning of 7th century BC in Lydia, an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish provinces of Uşak, Manisa and inland Izmir.
The history of Armenian money is rich, diverse and interesting. Armenians are undoubtedly one of the nations with the ancient money history, as the territory of historical Armenia was in the vicinity of the birthplace of the first antique coins. Coinage, which is considered to be a major event in the development of society, started approximately at the end of the 8th or at the beginning of 7th century BC in Lydia, an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish provinces of Uşak, Manisa and inland Izmir.
September 24, 2013
PanARMENIAN.Net - The oldest coins found in the territory of Armenia date back to
6th-5th centuries BC. These are silver coins made in the Achaemenid Empire and
the Greek cities of Athens and Miletus.
In the middle of the 6th
century BC, Armenia fell under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire and its
territory was divided into eastern and western parts consisting of areas
governed by satraps, who got the right to coin at the end of the 5th century
BC.
Oront (in Armenian
sources mentioned as Yervant, 362-345 BC), the satrap of the eastern part of
Armenia, and Tiribaz (386-380 BC), who governed the western part, had coins
with their own images.
It’s noteworthy that
coins of Macedonian king Philip II (359-336 BC) and Alexander the Great were
discovered in the territory of Armenia, although there is not enough evidence
that the locals used money at that time, and, apparently, trade was conducted
through exchange. However, the discovery proves that the people knew about the
usage of coins.
The coins of kings of
Sophene (Tsopk) dated to the second half of the 3rd century BC are believed to
the first Armenian coins.
The coins of the
following Armenian kings are known: Sames (about 260 BC), Arsham I (about 240
BC), Arsham II (about 230 BC), Xerxes (about 220 BC), Abdidares (about 210 BC).
Description of coins First Armenian coins were copper coins,
with a very small number of them preserved. The coins of the period of Sophene
kings’ rule were minted in Hellenistic style. The obverse showed the image of
the ruler (profile of the king in a characteristic pointed headdress). The
reverse demonstrated various mythological images, for example a horseman
symbolizing the king, an eagle, or the name of the king in Greek letters.
The material was prepared in cooperation with Gevorg Mughalyan,
the numismatist of the Central Bank of Armenia.
Viktoria Araratyan / PanARMENIAN.Net, Varo
Rafayelyan / PanARMENIAN Photo
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