Silver Coin of King Vologases IV

125 BC - 226 AD
Silver
Nippur
2.5 cm diam.
A32818

Oriental Institute Museum

Silver Coin of King Vologases IV

There are few primary sources for the political and economic history of the Parthian period. Coins provide the only documentation of the sequence of Parthian kings. This is a silver coin (called a tetradrachm) of King Vologases IV. It dates from 152-153 AD. The obverse (front) side contains a bust of the king wearing a helmet, while the reverse (back) side depicts the king seated on a throne receiving a diadem from Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune.

Collected by

Iraq Expedition (Nippur 9)
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1964-1965



Multimedia

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Suggested Readings

Hunter, Erica. First Civilizations: Cultural Atlas for Young People. New York: Facts on File, 1994.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.