Categories: AntiquitiesArcheology

Mount Ararat on Historical Armenian Coins

In antiquity, as soon as an Armenian ruler acceded to the throne, he in the first place ordered the issuance of coins with his image. Given the limited communication opportunities of the antiquity, coins played a crucial role in the propaganda of the king’s victories and merits.

But apart from the images of the kings, the coins featured images of Armenian symbols, including Mount Ararat. And today, we are going to view a number of coins with the image of Ararat on the reverse side.

A coin from the Armenian Kingdom of Sophene, 230 BC. Right: bust of Arsham II, left: the peaks of Ararat with stars shining above.
Right: Tigran IV, King of Armenia in 2 BC – 1 AD, in an Armenian tiara and diadem. Left: the two peaks of Ararat as viewed from the ancient capital of Armenia Artashat.
A 3 Soviet ruble coin issued in 1989 in commemoration of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. Mount Ararat on the left side.
A 50 Armenian dram coin of the 2012 issue with Mount Ararat and Khor Virap on the reverse side.
A 500 Armenian dram coin of the 2013 issue with the image of Mount Ararat, Noah’s Ark, and a dove on the reverse side.
Vigen Avetisyan

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Vigen Avetisyan
Tags: Mount Ararat on Historical Armenian Coins
9 years ago

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