Ruben Vardanyan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ruben Vardanyan
PROCEEDINGS OF THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARMENIA 8, 2021
Two gold coins naming Levon, which allegedly come from a coin hoard discovered in Egypt in 1988, ... more Two gold coins naming Levon, which allegedly come from a coin hoard discovered in Egypt in 1988, continue to excite the minds of collectors.
They were put up for auction several times. One of them (№ 1) was last resold at auction in 2021, the other (№ 2) in 2015. The buyer of the latter donated it to the Museum of the Mother See of Saint Ejmiatsin.
The coins are struck from the same pair of obverse and reverse dies. In terms of pictorial details, they are very close in style to some of the silver coins of Smbat, as well as to a small group of silver coins of Levon III. Consequently, these two coins – real or fake – cannot belong to Levon I. On the other hand, a number of oddities in pictorial, stylistic, metrological and technical elements indicate that, like all other “gold coins” with the names Levon and Hethum, they are also fakes.
ARAMAZD. ARMENIAN JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES (AJNES). VOL. XII ISSUE 1, 2018
The purpose of this article is to dispel the prevailing view in medieval Armenian numismatics on ... more The purpose of this article is to dispel the prevailing view in medieval Armenian numismatics on the existence of a king referred to as Levon the Usurper, and the substantiation of the proper re-attribution of a group of coins currently assigned to him. Observations and arguments brought below aim to show that the silver tagvorins attributed to a Levon, who allegedly usurped the throne in 1363-1365, had been actually struck in the last years of Levon IV’s reign (1320-1341), while the billon tagvorins also attributed to this ‘usurper’ were actually struck during the reign of Levon V (1374-1375). In terms of broad chronology, the issue falls during the period between the 1320s and 1370s, therefore we also need to consider the coins of the other kings in that interval to make the argument convincing and understandable.
Հին Հայաստանի մշակույթը XII. Հանրապետական գիտական նստաշրջան. նվիրվում է ակադեմիկոս Բաբկեն Առաքելյանի ծննդյան 90-ամյակին (The Culture of Ancient Armenia XII. Republican Scientific Session dedicated to 90th anniversary of academician Babken Arakelyan), Yerevan, pp. 65-70, 2002
Օրենք եւ իրականություն 7 ( ապրիլ), 29-31, 2002
Parthica. Incontri di culture nel mondo antico 3, 25-132, 2001
Arménie: La magie de l’écrit. Ouvrage, publié à l’occasion de l’exposition “Arménie, la magie de l’écrit”. Marseille, Centre de la Vieille Chrité. 27 avril – 22 juillet 2007, pp. 204-209, 2007
Armenian Numismatic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 69-76, 2007
Историко-филологический журнал, но. 1, 230-252, 2011
THE FIGHT FOR THE "KING OF KINGS" TITLE IN THE CONTEXT OF ROME’S EASTERN POLICY IN THE 1st CENTUR... more THE FIGHT FOR THE "KING OF KINGS" TITLE IN THE CONTEXT OF ROME’S EASTERN POLICY IN THE 1st CENTURY B. C. (On numismatic, epigraphic and narrative sources)
The Romans based their strategy not only on military power but also tried to use the rivalry between their enemies. In the 1st century B.C., the intrusion of Romans in the competition around the title of “king of kings” between Armenia and Parthia was one of their diplomatic sources of influence in the course of events. The last coins with the title “king of kings” of Mithridates II can be dated from not later than 88/7 B.C. Afterwards, during more than twenty-five years after Mithridates II, the imperial claims of Tigranes II, the kings of Parthia and Mithridates VI Eupator were not reflected on the coins issued by them. The imperial title appeared again only in the 61 B.C., this time on the coins of Tigranes II, due to the crucial position of Pompey in the relations between Armenians and Parthians. The Parthians restored the title of “king of kings" after Tigranes, and in the second half of the 1st century B.C. a situation was created in the Near East when there were two concurrent “king of kings", one of which was the Parthian king, vested with sovereign authority, and the other patronized by Rome. Thus, after the death of Tigranes II, Pompey thought expedient conferring this title to Pharnaces, king of Pontus, and then he returned it to Artavazdes II, king of Armenia. Later, the imperial title was transferred to Artavazdes of Atropatene by the interference of Marcus Antonius.
Вестник древней истории 4(203), 106-115, , 1992
The representation of the king’s head turned to the right was typical of coins struck in the stat... more The representation of the king’s head turned to the right was typical of coins struck in the states which to this or that extent were in the sphere of Greek, Macedonian and later Roman influence. Consistent deviation from this tradition took place in Parthia. Besides coins with the left turn of the king’s head, issued in Parthia from the very beginning, in the reign of Mithridates I after his conquest of such Western (within the Parthian empire) mints as those in Seleucia on the Tigris and Susa there appeared series of coins with the head turned to the right. Thus the left turn of the head seems more characteristic of coins of Eastern (Iranian) mints, whereas on coins issued in big Hellenistic cities, which formed part of the Parthian state, the heads of Parthian kings were first turned to the right. With the accession to power of Mithridates II important changes in the internal policy took place, among them a changed attitude to the Hellenistic West of Parthian state and the strengthening of the Parthian-Iranian trends in the field of established culture, religion and politics. One of the manifestations of these changes is the eventual establishment of the single turn of the head on all Parthian coins regardless of the place of minting. The left turn of a king’s head on coins, as opposed to the generally accepted right one, showed not only the desire for independence or an anti-Seleucid position, which is obviously shared by the rulers of Parthia. The «Arsacid turn» symbolized more serious clams of this dynasty, demonstrating the emergence of a new political force «diametrically» opposed to the Seleucids and coming out against their reign in Iran.
Several centuries later the same mechanism led to the «Sasanid» turn which is the exact opposite fo the Parthian one.
The interpretation of the position of the head on the coin as a symbol of political dependence (or identity of «views» of the Parthian king of kings and a semi-dependent local ruler) is also a novelty of the Parthian ear, which came into being with Mithridates II.
Patmabanasirakan Handes 2 (117), 195-207, 1987
Vestnik Drevneĭ Istorii, № 1, 99-117, 1986
Armenian Numismatic Journal, Vol. 8(38), Nos. 1&2, 3-30, 2012
In 1881, Gustave Schlumberger published the first gold coin made by types of half double drams of... more In 1881, Gustave Schlumberger published the first gold coin made by types of half double drams of Levon I (1198-1219), founder of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. In 1892 there were already eight gold coins, three of which of the above-mentioned type, the other three - of the types of regular silver issues of the king - with two lions on the reverse, and two pieces with the obverse type of Levon I's drams and with reverse type of the drams of Hetum I, the king inherited the throne in 1226. Later, the number of coins with two lions on the reverse reached five, and came to hand two more light-weight coins with the types of regular silver drams of Levon I, with two lions on the reverse side. The coins each of these four groups are struck by one pair of dies.
Despite the fact that from the outset there were suspicions about the authenticity of these coins, all the authors who spoke about these coins in writing, were inclined to regard them as genuine. The only one who thought these coins to be forgeries and intended to present his arguments in a special paper on this subject was Perch Karapetyan, but, unfortunately, did not have time to implement his plan.
In this paper, based on a detailed study of all available materials and literature on the history of these "gold coins", clarified the actual number of existing copies, identified each coin, set "fate" of each example (time of emergence into the light, the transition from one owner to another and his whereabouts at the moment). In the letters of Serovbe Alishan discovered evidence, which allow to doubt the authenticity of at least one group of "gold coins", and the comparative analysis of gold and silver coins reinforces the belief that all "gold coins" allegedly struck on behalf of Levon I (and Hetum I) are modern forgeries.
Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Tyran, Band 32, S. 254-259, 2000
Cahiers numismatiques, No. 143, 41-50, 2000
Parthica. Incontri di culture nel mondo antico, vol. 8 (2006), 105-129, 2007
The so-called 'Parthian Dark Age' problem chronologically embraces a period from the end of the 9... more The so-called 'Parthian Dark Age' problem chronologically embraces a period from the end of the 90s to the middle of the 50s B.C., that is, from the last years of Mithradates II's reign or his death till the accession of Orodes II. As a rule, epigraphic documents and the coins of Parthian kings represent the dynastic name Arsakes ; only in exceptional cases we can fi nd personal names of Parthian kings on the coins. As the Parthian throne passed from a king to his successor and there were no other claimants or co-rulers, the attributions of series, supported by the evidence of classical sources, are usually correct. The above-mentioned peculiarity of Parthian coins causes serious problems in attributing when we have to deal with the coins of this unstable and troubled period.
Electrum, Vol. 7, 111-130, 2003
Roma-Armenia. Grand Salle Sixtine, Bibliotheque Apostolique du Vatican, 25 mars-16 juillet, 1999
Parthica, Vol. 1, 117-135, 1999
A re-examination of the Elymaean coins found in the excavations of the Masjid-e Sulaiman and Bard... more A re-examination of the Elymaean coins found in the excavations of the Masjid-e Sulaiman and Bard-e Neshandeh sanctuaries confirms the close typological relations of the coins minted by the kings Orodes I to Kamnaskires-Orodes that have been ointed out by Ch. Augé. However, the iconographic, metrological and technical features of these coins compared to those of G.F. Hill’s «group D» lead to a reversel of the line of succession of these sovereigns. A discussion of the evolving featurse of the Elymaean coinage within the general development trends of Sub-Arsacid coinage strengthens the new order of succession of the kings proposed on internal grounds. Considered in the new dynastic order, the Elymaean coinage shows evolving featurse that are very similar to those of the remaining Sub-Arsacid coinage, in particular to those of nearby Characene. Moreover, the line of succession of the kings here established sheds new light on contemporary history and gives a more substantial sense to the evolution of Elymaean royal ideology.
Parthica, Vol. 13, 67-71. In Zhores Khachatryan, "The Tomb of Sisian (second Half of the 1st Century BC), 2011
Si prega di inviare manoscritti, dattiloscritti e stampati e la posta redazionale al seguente ind... more Si prega di inviare manoscritti, dattiloscritti e stampati e la posta redazionale al seguente indirizzo: dott. Carlo Lippolis, Dipartimento di Scienze Antropologiche, Archeologiche e Storico-Territoriali, Via Giolitti 21/e, i 10123 Torino. I testi originali di contributi e/o recensioni sottoposti all'attenzione della redazione scientifica non saranno restituiti.
Armenian Numismatic Journel, Vol 4 (34), no.4, 77-94, 2008
PROCEEDINGS OF THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARMENIA 8, 2021
Two gold coins naming Levon, which allegedly come from a coin hoard discovered in Egypt in 1988, ... more Two gold coins naming Levon, which allegedly come from a coin hoard discovered in Egypt in 1988, continue to excite the minds of collectors.
They were put up for auction several times. One of them (№ 1) was last resold at auction in 2021, the other (№ 2) in 2015. The buyer of the latter donated it to the Museum of the Mother See of Saint Ejmiatsin.
The coins are struck from the same pair of obverse and reverse dies. In terms of pictorial details, they are very close in style to some of the silver coins of Smbat, as well as to a small group of silver coins of Levon III. Consequently, these two coins – real or fake – cannot belong to Levon I. On the other hand, a number of oddities in pictorial, stylistic, metrological and technical elements indicate that, like all other “gold coins” with the names Levon and Hethum, they are also fakes.
ARAMAZD. ARMENIAN JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES (AJNES). VOL. XII ISSUE 1, 2018
The purpose of this article is to dispel the prevailing view in medieval Armenian numismatics on ... more The purpose of this article is to dispel the prevailing view in medieval Armenian numismatics on the existence of a king referred to as Levon the Usurper, and the substantiation of the proper re-attribution of a group of coins currently assigned to him. Observations and arguments brought below aim to show that the silver tagvorins attributed to a Levon, who allegedly usurped the throne in 1363-1365, had been actually struck in the last years of Levon IV’s reign (1320-1341), while the billon tagvorins also attributed to this ‘usurper’ were actually struck during the reign of Levon V (1374-1375). In terms of broad chronology, the issue falls during the period between the 1320s and 1370s, therefore we also need to consider the coins of the other kings in that interval to make the argument convincing and understandable.
Հին Հայաստանի մշակույթը XII. Հանրապետական գիտական նստաշրջան. նվիրվում է ակադեմիկոս Բաբկեն Առաքելյանի ծննդյան 90-ամյակին (The Culture of Ancient Armenia XII. Republican Scientific Session dedicated to 90th anniversary of academician Babken Arakelyan), Yerevan, pp. 65-70, 2002
Օրենք եւ իրականություն 7 ( ապրիլ), 29-31, 2002
Parthica. Incontri di culture nel mondo antico 3, 25-132, 2001
Arménie: La magie de l’écrit. Ouvrage, publié à l’occasion de l’exposition “Arménie, la magie de l’écrit”. Marseille, Centre de la Vieille Chrité. 27 avril – 22 juillet 2007, pp. 204-209, 2007
Armenian Numismatic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 69-76, 2007
Историко-филологический журнал, но. 1, 230-252, 2011
THE FIGHT FOR THE "KING OF KINGS" TITLE IN THE CONTEXT OF ROME’S EASTERN POLICY IN THE 1st CENTUR... more THE FIGHT FOR THE "KING OF KINGS" TITLE IN THE CONTEXT OF ROME’S EASTERN POLICY IN THE 1st CENTURY B. C. (On numismatic, epigraphic and narrative sources)
The Romans based their strategy not only on military power but also tried to use the rivalry between their enemies. In the 1st century B.C., the intrusion of Romans in the competition around the title of “king of kings” between Armenia and Parthia was one of their diplomatic sources of influence in the course of events. The last coins with the title “king of kings” of Mithridates II can be dated from not later than 88/7 B.C. Afterwards, during more than twenty-five years after Mithridates II, the imperial claims of Tigranes II, the kings of Parthia and Mithridates VI Eupator were not reflected on the coins issued by them. The imperial title appeared again only in the 61 B.C., this time on the coins of Tigranes II, due to the crucial position of Pompey in the relations between Armenians and Parthians. The Parthians restored the title of “king of kings" after Tigranes, and in the second half of the 1st century B.C. a situation was created in the Near East when there were two concurrent “king of kings", one of which was the Parthian king, vested with sovereign authority, and the other patronized by Rome. Thus, after the death of Tigranes II, Pompey thought expedient conferring this title to Pharnaces, king of Pontus, and then he returned it to Artavazdes II, king of Armenia. Later, the imperial title was transferred to Artavazdes of Atropatene by the interference of Marcus Antonius.
Вестник древней истории 4(203), 106-115, , 1992
The representation of the king’s head turned to the right was typical of coins struck in the stat... more The representation of the king’s head turned to the right was typical of coins struck in the states which to this or that extent were in the sphere of Greek, Macedonian and later Roman influence. Consistent deviation from this tradition took place in Parthia. Besides coins with the left turn of the king’s head, issued in Parthia from the very beginning, in the reign of Mithridates I after his conquest of such Western (within the Parthian empire) mints as those in Seleucia on the Tigris and Susa there appeared series of coins with the head turned to the right. Thus the left turn of the head seems more characteristic of coins of Eastern (Iranian) mints, whereas on coins issued in big Hellenistic cities, which formed part of the Parthian state, the heads of Parthian kings were first turned to the right. With the accession to power of Mithridates II important changes in the internal policy took place, among them a changed attitude to the Hellenistic West of Parthian state and the strengthening of the Parthian-Iranian trends in the field of established culture, religion and politics. One of the manifestations of these changes is the eventual establishment of the single turn of the head on all Parthian coins regardless of the place of minting. The left turn of a king’s head on coins, as opposed to the generally accepted right one, showed not only the desire for independence or an anti-Seleucid position, which is obviously shared by the rulers of Parthia. The «Arsacid turn» symbolized more serious clams of this dynasty, demonstrating the emergence of a new political force «diametrically» opposed to the Seleucids and coming out against their reign in Iran.
Several centuries later the same mechanism led to the «Sasanid» turn which is the exact opposite fo the Parthian one.
The interpretation of the position of the head on the coin as a symbol of political dependence (or identity of «views» of the Parthian king of kings and a semi-dependent local ruler) is also a novelty of the Parthian ear, which came into being with Mithridates II.
Patmabanasirakan Handes 2 (117), 195-207, 1987
Vestnik Drevneĭ Istorii, № 1, 99-117, 1986
Armenian Numismatic Journal, Vol. 8(38), Nos. 1&2, 3-30, 2012
In 1881, Gustave Schlumberger published the first gold coin made by types of half double drams of... more In 1881, Gustave Schlumberger published the first gold coin made by types of half double drams of Levon I (1198-1219), founder of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. In 1892 there were already eight gold coins, three of which of the above-mentioned type, the other three - of the types of regular silver issues of the king - with two lions on the reverse, and two pieces with the obverse type of Levon I's drams and with reverse type of the drams of Hetum I, the king inherited the throne in 1226. Later, the number of coins with two lions on the reverse reached five, and came to hand two more light-weight coins with the types of regular silver drams of Levon I, with two lions on the reverse side. The coins each of these four groups are struck by one pair of dies.
Despite the fact that from the outset there were suspicions about the authenticity of these coins, all the authors who spoke about these coins in writing, were inclined to regard them as genuine. The only one who thought these coins to be forgeries and intended to present his arguments in a special paper on this subject was Perch Karapetyan, but, unfortunately, did not have time to implement his plan.
In this paper, based on a detailed study of all available materials and literature on the history of these "gold coins", clarified the actual number of existing copies, identified each coin, set "fate" of each example (time of emergence into the light, the transition from one owner to another and his whereabouts at the moment). In the letters of Serovbe Alishan discovered evidence, which allow to doubt the authenticity of at least one group of "gold coins", and the comparative analysis of gold and silver coins reinforces the belief that all "gold coins" allegedly struck on behalf of Levon I (and Hetum I) are modern forgeries.
Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Tyran, Band 32, S. 254-259, 2000
Cahiers numismatiques, No. 143, 41-50, 2000
Parthica. Incontri di culture nel mondo antico, vol. 8 (2006), 105-129, 2007
The so-called 'Parthian Dark Age' problem chronologically embraces a period from the end of the 9... more The so-called 'Parthian Dark Age' problem chronologically embraces a period from the end of the 90s to the middle of the 50s B.C., that is, from the last years of Mithradates II's reign or his death till the accession of Orodes II. As a rule, epigraphic documents and the coins of Parthian kings represent the dynastic name Arsakes ; only in exceptional cases we can fi nd personal names of Parthian kings on the coins. As the Parthian throne passed from a king to his successor and there were no other claimants or co-rulers, the attributions of series, supported by the evidence of classical sources, are usually correct. The above-mentioned peculiarity of Parthian coins causes serious problems in attributing when we have to deal with the coins of this unstable and troubled period.
Electrum, Vol. 7, 111-130, 2003
Roma-Armenia. Grand Salle Sixtine, Bibliotheque Apostolique du Vatican, 25 mars-16 juillet, 1999
Parthica, Vol. 1, 117-135, 1999
A re-examination of the Elymaean coins found in the excavations of the Masjid-e Sulaiman and Bard... more A re-examination of the Elymaean coins found in the excavations of the Masjid-e Sulaiman and Bard-e Neshandeh sanctuaries confirms the close typological relations of the coins minted by the kings Orodes I to Kamnaskires-Orodes that have been ointed out by Ch. Augé. However, the iconographic, metrological and technical features of these coins compared to those of G.F. Hill’s «group D» lead to a reversel of the line of succession of these sovereigns. A discussion of the evolving featurse of the Elymaean coinage within the general development trends of Sub-Arsacid coinage strengthens the new order of succession of the kings proposed on internal grounds. Considered in the new dynastic order, the Elymaean coinage shows evolving featurse that are very similar to those of the remaining Sub-Arsacid coinage, in particular to those of nearby Characene. Moreover, the line of succession of the kings here established sheds new light on contemporary history and gives a more substantial sense to the evolution of Elymaean royal ideology.
Parthica, Vol. 13, 67-71. In Zhores Khachatryan, "The Tomb of Sisian (second Half of the 1st Century BC), 2011
Si prega di inviare manoscritti, dattiloscritti e stampati e la posta redazionale al seguente ind... more Si prega di inviare manoscritti, dattiloscritti e stampati e la posta redazionale al seguente indirizzo: dott. Carlo Lippolis, Dipartimento di Scienze Antropologiche, Archeologiche e Storico-Territoriali, Via Giolitti 21/e, i 10123 Torino. I testi originali di contributi e/o recensioni sottoposti all'attenzione della redazione scientifica non saranno restituiti.
Armenian Numismatic Journel, Vol 4 (34), no.4, 77-94, 2008
Antares, Yerevan, 2020
This volume presents Kilikian Armenian coin issues of 1320-1375 from the coin collection of the H... more This volume presents Kilikian Armenian coin issues of 1320-1375 from the coin collection of the History Museum of Armenia. Their attribution and classification have been precised. The Catalogue includes the coins of kings Levon IV, Ki (Guy), Kostandin III, Kostandin IV and Levon V. All data and photographs of 705 coins are presented. The book is in Armenian and English.
Central Bank of Armenia, 2018
The purpose of the book, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Dram as the legal means of payment ... more The purpose of the book, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Dram as the legal means of payment of the Republic of Armenia, is to present briefly and by historical periods the whole course of issuance of money in Armenia both by Armenian states and foreigners as well as the coins mentioning Armenia, and that penetrated and circulated in Armenia from other countries from the earliest times until today.
NSA RA "Gitutyun" Publishing House, 2014
This volume represents the coins of the King Levon I the Magnificent from the collection of Cilic... more This volume represents the coins of the King Levon I the Magnificent from the collection of Cilician coins preserved in the History Museum of Armenia. The Catalogue contains data and photographs of 981 silver
and copper coins. New approaches have been applied for the classification and presentation of the coins. In the Appendix, some research problems of the coinage of Levon I have been discussed. The book is published in
Armenian and English.