Speaker
Description
The report discusses rare coins with the inscription which translates as “metropolis of Artaxians”, attributed to the mint operating in Artaxata (Artashat), the capital of Great Armenia. To date, there are eight alternative dates proposed for the time of issue of these coins. Of these the hypothesis of R. Vardanyan who attributes this coinage to 1/2 and 3/4 AD is the most reasoned. However, the explanation of the dates on the coins presented by R. Vardanyan in his articles did not convince many researchers, and other, alternative hypotheses were proposed. In our opinion, the numbers on the right: 67 (ΖΞ) and 69 (ΘΞ), indicate 66 BC, but this is not the "era of Pompey", as suggested, but the year Tigranes II the Great proclaimed Artashat the capital (metropolis), after the loss of Syrian possessions and the fall of the influence of the former capital Tigranakert.
