MESOPOTAMIA. Edessa. Lucius Verus, 161-169. Drachm (Silver, 18 mm, 3.67 g, 6 h), with Ma'nu VIII Philoromaios (139-163 and 165-179), 165-169. Α Κ Λ ΑVΡ OVΗΡΟϹ Ϲ Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust of Lucius Verus to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΒΑϹΙΛЄ/VϹ ΜΑΝΝ/ΟϹ ΦΙΛΟΡ/ⲰΜΑΙϹ (sic!) in four lines. BMC p. xcviii, pl. L, 8. RPC IV.3 online 6493. Extremely rare and of great historical interest. Minor flan crack, otherwise, very fine.



The Kingdom of Osrhoene was situated in a particularly volatile geographical location and hence prone to interventions by the two neighboring superpowers, Rome and Parthia. In 163, the Parthian King, Vologases III, expelled Ma'nu VIII from Edessa and replaced him with his brother, Waël, but the Roman counteroffensive under Lucius Verus' able general, Avidius Cassius, soon turned the tide in Ma'nu's favor again. Having returned from his exile, the new (and old) King added the epithet Philoromaios ('friend of the Romans') to his name in gratitude. Ma'nu also started issuing silver coins with the portraits of the Roman imperial family on the obverse and reverse types celebrating the victoriousness of, and his gratitude towards, the Romans, supplemented with bronze coins with his own image and his name in the local Syriac Esṭrangēlā script. Our coin, however, is part of an extremely rare emission showing Lucius Verus on the obverse and naming Man'u VIII in Greek on the reverse, and is, as such, of great historical interest.