Wars between Rome and Persia. Caracalla

[Valentinian]

I have been interested in the coins relating to wars between Rome and Persia for many years. Finally I wrote a website about the coins which I announced earlier this year:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Persian/Persia.html

Caracalla has Roman imperial types from 217 recording his victories in his Persian war (some are on that web site). He was assassinated in 217 while traveling from Edessa to Carrhae in Mesopotamia. Here is a small provincial coin of Caracalla, often attributed to Carrhae, but now known to be from Edessa.  


19.6 mm. 3.65 grams.
Caracalla bust right, laureate
Turreted Tyche of the city right.
There are many minor legend variants. This one seems to be (From 1:00) approximately 
M AVR ANTONINIANA AVC AV
and (from 12:00)
COL MET ANTONINIANA AV
Edessa was a colony (COL) and Metropolis (MET) and took the name of Caracalla (ANTONIN...) . In the 2016 Numismatic Chronicle Dandrow proves it it really of Edessa and not Carrhae as previously repeated uncritically since the type was originally (mis)identified in 1828. 

Until this year it would have been harder to find a coin of this type. It is provincial and small and examples are often crowded, illegible, and unattractive. Those factors make it not worth much so dealers have little incentive to buy and sell them. But, the internet has made inexpensive coins much easier to sell, which has made worthwhile for some dealers to sell them, which has caused many low-value coins (previously extant in vast numbers, but held off the market as worth too little to offer) to come to market. There have been many of this type on the market this year. This one is now on my web page.

Again, the page is
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Persian/Persia.html

Show us coins from Mesopotamia or imperial coins associated with Rome's wars with Persia.

[expat]

One of my latest acquisitions is of Caracalla with a Victory reverse legend referencing a victory over the Parthians.

CARACALLA AR Denarius. Victoria - VICT PART MAX.
Obverse: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right.
Reverse: VICT PART MAX. Victory advancing left, holding palm and wreath.
 A good example of this interesting coin, celebrating the roman victory over the Parthian empire during the reign of Septimius Severus.
RIC IV-1 144a. RSC 660. Rome mint, A.D. 204.  3,2 g - 18 mm.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I'll have to check out the links.

Here's an uncleaned example of a billon coin which could have been used for soldiers.

Seleucis and Pieria. Laodicea ad Mare under Caracalla (AD 192-217). Struck in 4th consulship (AD 215-217). AR tetradrachm (29mm, 14.88g). Laureate bust of Caracalla r. / Eagle with spread wings standing facing, head l., holding wreath in beak; star between legs. cf. Prieur 1179 (different legends).

[Al Kowsky]

1 hour ago, Valentinian said:

I have been interested in the coins relating to wars between Rome and Persia for many years. Finally I wrote a website about the coins which I announced earlier this year:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Persian/Persia.html

Caracalla has Roman imperial types from 217 recording his victories in his Persian war (some are on that web site). He was assassinated in 217 while traveling from Edessa to Carrhae in Mesopotamia. Here is a small provincial coin of Caracalla, often attributed to Carrhae, but now known to be from Edessa.  


19.6 mm. 3.65 grams.
Caracalla bust right, laureate
Turreted Tyche of the city right.
There are many minor legend variants. This one seems to be (From 1:00) approximately 
M AVR ANTONINIANA AVC AV
and (from 12:00)
COL MET ANTONINIANA AV
Edessa was a colony (COL) and Metropolis (MET) and took the name of Caracalla (ANTONIN...) . In the 2016 Numismatic Chronicle Dandrow proves it it really of Edessa and not Carrhae as previously repeated uncritically since the type was originally (mis)identified in 1828. 

Until this year it would have been harder to find a coin of this type. It is provincial and small and examples are often crowded, illegible, and unattractive. Those factors make it not worth much so dealers have little incentive to buy and sell them. But, the internet has made inexpensive coins much easier to sell, which has made worthwhile for some dealers to sell them, which has caused many low-value coins (previously extant in vast numbers, but held off the market as worth too little to offer) to come to market. There have been many of this type on the market this year. This one is now on my web page.

Again, the page is
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Persian/Persia.html

Show us coins from Mesopotamia or imperial coins associated with Rome's wars with Persia.

Val., I enjoyed your well constructed & informative website 🤩! Pictured below are two coins that fit your thread. The Severus denarius uses the same reverse type as the coin posted by expat 😃. The Carrhae tet of Caracalla has an unusually fine portrait.

[Ursus]

A highly educational website! Thanks for posting it here.

I bought this one from you a couple of years ago, @Valentinian:

Roman Provinces: Mesopotamia, Edessa, under Caracalla, AE 21, 198–217 AD. Obv: M AVR ANTONINV[S PF AVG]; head of Caracalla, laureate, r. Rev: COL MET ANTONINIANA AVR ALEX; bust of Tyche, draped and turreted, r. 21mm, 6.17g. Sear Greek Imperial 2702; BMC 19 (for Carrhae).

[Marsyas Mike]

Thanks for the informative write-up as always, @Valentinian  Your website is very useful - I was just on it today digging up some stuff on Geta's portraits. 

As for the OP, I got a couple of these, similar types but with cornucopiae in front of Tyche, from an eBay lot.  At under $2 each, they were indeed cheap - and I'd agree that a lot of low-price, low-grade but very interesting ancients are coming on to the market a lot lately (speaking from the eBay perspective).  Here're mine (the attributions are kind of wishy-washy):

Caracalla   Æ 17 (198-217 A.D.) Carrhae, Mesopotamia  (or Edessa? see E. Dandrow) [IMP CAES] ANTONIN[VS PF AVG] laureate head right / [COI MET ANT]ON[INIANA A], turreted & veiled head of Tyche right, cornucopia to right. SNG Cop. 177; BMC 38. (3.66 grams / 17 mm) eBay May 2019       Lot @ $1.83  

 Caracalla  Æ 16 (198-217 A.D.) Carrhae, Mesopotamia (or Edessa? see E. Dandrow) [IMP CAES ANTONINVS PF] AVG laureate head right / [COI MET] ANTON[INIANA A], turreted & veiled head of Tyche right, cornucopia to right. SNG Cop. 177; BMC 38. (2.87 grams / 16 mm) eBay May 2019       Lot @ $1.83  

Edward Dandrow in "The Latin Coins of Caracalla from Odessa  in Osrhoene" makes a case for the Carrhae attribution to be incorrect, based on misreading the legends.  (Numismatic Chronicle Offprint 176, 2016) In his work, this coin is Type 3 with cornucopia before Tyche.