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Æ19 - Septimius Severus and Abgar VIII Edessa
| Issuer | Kingdom of Osroene |
|---|---|
| Year | 193-211 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of Septimius Severus facing right, rendered in provincial style. The portrait displays the emperor's characteristic bearded effigy with a dotted border surrounding the flan. A Greek legend encircles the bust, identifying the emperor by his imperial title. The die work reflects the local Edessene mint tradition, combining Roman iconographic conventions with provincial craftsmanship. The coin exhibits a green patina consistent with prolonged burial, with some surface corrosion partially obscuring the finer details. |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Abgar VIII, king of Osroene, facing right, wearing a tiara or diadem typical of Parthian-influenced Edessene royal iconography. The portrait is rendered in a blend of local and Hellenistic artistic traditions, with a Greek legend divided on either side of the effigy identifying the king by name and title. A dotted border frames the design on the irregular flan. The reverse composition reflects the unique dual-authority coinage struck to commemorate the political relationship between Rome and the client kingdom of Osroene. |
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| Additional information |
Osroene occupied a strategic buffer position between Rome and Parthia, and Abgar VIII's decision to align with Septimius Severus during the latter's eastern campaigns was a calculated political survival move. Severus campaigned against Parthia twice — in 195 and again in 197-198 — and Osroene's cooperation was neither incidental nor freely given. The joint portrait coinage issued from Edessa during this period is among the very few provincial bronze series to place a client king's image alongside a reigning Roman emperor, a numismatic arrangement with almost no parallel in the eastern provincial series.