Sylloge Nummorum Parthicorum, Band VI: Vonones I-Vonones II

The present project is conceived in the framework of the larger international project Sylloge Nummorum Parthicorum (SNP). The specific aim of the project presented here is to produce the sixth volume of the nine planned for the whole SNP project. Parthian coin series cover the entire period of this dynasty, which ruled Iran from the mid of the 3rd cent. B.C. to the early 3rd century A.D. Despite the almost five centuries-long rule of the Parthians, this period remains nonetheless the least known of pre-islamic Iran, and in such a dearth of documentation coins stand out as the only source continuously attested throughout the period, as they were struck from the beginning under the first king Arsaces I until the very end in AD 224. To finally provide a scientifically sound and complete numismatic reconstruction, and at the same time a reliable tool for the historical study of the Parthian period as a whole, the Sylloge Nummorum Parthicorum (SNP) project has been devised, gathering c. 17,000 Parthian coins from the collections of several of the most important museum around the world in order to provide the documentary basis for the largest study of Parthian coinage ever attempted. Its primary aim is to tackle the whole issue of Parthian coinage anew with a radically different and ambitious approach, that is, to finally conceive a structural study of these coin series on a huge scale in order to reconstruct the complete system of their production. The numismatic study so conducted will be accompanied by historical essays that will link the results of the coin examination with evidence from other sources, well highlighting the fundamental contribution of the coin series to our understanding of the historical development of ancient Iran. Within such a frame the period between Vonones I and Vonones II covered by vol. VI, i.e. the first half of the 1st cent. AD, is of special interest: it is of basic importance for Parthian history, since it marks the transition between the earlier and later Parthian periods. Beside their role as primary source, the coin series also witness directly several innovations connected to the transformations occurring in the Parthian kingdom in this phase. Therefore a reliable reconstruction of the coin series is a desideratum for Parthian numismatics and for other disciplines dealing with Parthian history as well. This can be granted only through a structural analysis of the relevant series conducted according to the most updated numismatic methodologies: In SNP vol. VI, a total of 2630 Arsacid coins will be published and meticulously analysed.

The work on Volume VI of the Sylloge Nummorum Parthicorum (SNP) was conceived within the framework of an international scientific project aimed at a general reconstruction of Parthian/Arsacid coin series and at the same time as a reliable tool for the study of Parthian history as a whole. Coinage provides the most important evidence for the history of Iran under the dynasty of the Arsacids (c. 247 BC - AD 224). Despite this, a systematic reconstruction of these series is still lacking. The basis for the SNP project is formed by the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna), the Institut für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte of the University of Vienna, the British Museum (London), the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris), the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the American Numismatic Society (New York), the M?ze-ye Mill?-ye Ir?n (Tehran), and the David Sellwood collection (UK). This has resulted in a material basis of c. 17,000 specimens, divided among nine volumes planned to cover the whole Arsacid period. Work started in 2007 and has so far resulted in the publication of Vol. VII (Sinisi 2012), while Vols. II, V and VI are currently in process of preparation and publication.Vol. VI covers the period from Vonones I to Vonones II, c. AD 8 to 51, which was marked by the long reign of Artabanus II and the clashes following his demise between his two successors Vardanes and Gotarzes II in the years AD 40-46. In keeping with the methodology already employed for SNP VII, all the coins gathered for Vol. VI have been digitally registered together with their specific technical data. Specimens from the collections officially involved in the SNP project, amounting to a total of 1,846, will be individually catalogued and illustrated. Further coins from other collections and auction houses have been added to enlarge the documentary basis, which now includes a further 1,124 specimens. All this material has been examined to produce an initial typological classification followed by a full reconstruction of the connections between the types and series, i.e. the entire structure of production. This in turn has provided the basis for the historical reconstruction and interpretation, complemented by all other available sources.All this has resulted in a sensitive reappraisal of the sequence of coin issues, producing a much firmer context for the historical reconstruction. Thanks to the combined study of the drachms and the dated tetradrachms the succession of kings now appears to be more linear, Vardanes being eventually followed by Gotarzes II in AD 46 and the latter by Vonones II and, after just a few months, by Vologases I in AD 51. The drachms previously attributed to the rebel against Vologases in AD 55-58, often referred to as Vardanes II in the literature, were struck by Vardanes I, as were those with the peculiar portrait of the king wearing the tiara. Accordingly, Vonones II was unable to strike any coinage at all. Progress has also been made in our understanding of mint distribution and activity. Mints on the Iranian plateau appear to have continued producing drachms longer than previously thought, until well into the second half of the 1st century AD.