‘Love’ triangle: Romans vs. Armenians vs. Parthians

How can we understand the context in which this coin was issued? What kind of event coerced the Roman state to produce coins made out of an expensive metal like gold? Well, the answer is short and complex at the same time: a war with another powerful state, the so-called Parthian Empire. One of the many wars fought by the Romans against the Parthians, while Armenians were caught in the middle.

Like every buffer zone in between two spheres of influence, the Armenians were constantly exposed to conflicts, wars, intrigues and bitter attitudes. Their complicated geographical position in-between three seas, the Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Mediterranean Sea, but also along the upstreams of the Tigris and Euphrates, made them vulnerable.

Maybe some of you will rightly ask “why does this unique position bring instability and not prosperity?” Indeed, in some ways it brought prosperity, but unfortunately, not for the Armenians. The whole region known as the Middle East nowadays was also important back then, as it connected the great empire of the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire. The economic ties between Europe and East Asia actually started in antiquity and not during the days of Marco Polo or with the expansion of European empires, as many of us would expect. For example, the author of Hou Han Shu (Annals of the Later Han Dynasty) gave us interesting insight into the crucial role of the Parthians in the Silk Roads trade. The source emphasizes the Parthian’s desire for having control over the goods exchange, ensuring that “Roman and Chinese merchants would never be able to meet directly.” Gan Ying, a Chinese military official, tried to reach Rome. Upon arrival on the coast of the Persian Gulf (known to the Chinese as “the Great Sea”), he encountered strong resistance from the Parthian officials and was discouraged from proceeding further, because “such a journey to Rome will take months, even years.” Craig Benjamin, Empires of Ancient Eurasia (Cambridge 2018) 173

In truth, this short story does not reveal actual information about the Armenians per se, but it does contour an economical and political situation in the area: a great socio-political power trying to have monopoly over economic activities. Recent studies have shown that the Silk Road was actually a conglomerate of different routes alongside the junction of Asia and Europe (including Armenia) over land, the Arabic Peninsula and Eastern Africa over sea. A.E. Redgate, The Armenians (Oxford 1998) 79-81

We can assume that the Roman officials were also aware of this economic situation and over the centuries tried to gain some sort of influence in the region. Not really by fully conquering the Parthian empire, but by creating pools of influence, from where they could have benefited.

This is where we come across our emperor Lucius Verus and his role in this part of the world…