Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 114 13-14 May 2020
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KINGS of OSRHOENE (EDESSA). Wa'el. AD 163-165. Æ (22mm, 7.59 g, 5h). Draped bust left within wreath / Distyle temple with star in pediment; within, cubical (cult?) object set on base with curved legs; all seen in three-quarters left perspective. SNG Copenhagen –; BMC 3; CNG E-229, lot 244 (hammer $850). Earthen black patina, slightly off center. Good VF. Exceptional for issue, much better than the CNG E-229 coin.
Edessa was a small independent kingdom in an unenviable position between the feuding Roman and Parthian empires. It was ruled by the Abgarids, an Arab dynasty that is thought to have originated in the area of Nabataea. Founded by Aryu in 132 BC, this dynasty ruled Edessa until the 3rd century AD; it was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Caracalla in 214 AD, and the final two kings were mere figureheads that ruled at the will of the Romans. The dynasty came to an end circa 242 AD. Wa'el was appointed to the throne by the Parthian Vologases IV, who had deposed the legitimate king Ma'nu VIII. Wa'el's reign lasted a brief two years before he himself was deposed by the Romans.
Edessa was a small independent kingdom in an unenviable position between the feuding Roman and Parthian empires. It was ruled by the Abgarids, an Arab dynasty that is thought to have originated in the area of Nabataea. Founded by Aryu in 132 BC, this dynasty ruled Edessa until the 3rd century AD; it was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Caracalla in 214 AD, and the final two kings were mere figureheads that ruled at the will of the Romans. The dynasty came to an end circa 242 AD. Wa'el was appointed to the throne by the Parthian Vologases IV, who had deposed the legitimate king Ma'nu VIII. Wa'el's reign lasted a brief two years before he himself was deposed by the Romans.