Ancient Near East

Parthian Empire (coins)

The coins and history of asia. In 247 BC, Arsaces, leader of a Scythian group in Central Asia called the Parni (a branch of the Dahae) is crowned king. He overthrows the Seleucid governor of Parthia in 238 BC and establishes a nation that lasts for almost 500 years. 95 - 57 BC is referred to as the Parthian 'dark age,' and civil wars make the chron...

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Parthian Empire 2 (coins)

The coins and history of asia. About Parthian related coins - Saka/Sacaraucae issues, Sanabares, Farn-Sasan, etc. [Persian Empire] [coins]...

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Arabia (coins)

Several small kingdoms that existed in what is now Syria, Jordan and the southern Arabian penninsula, bordering the Indian Ocean and Red Sea (modern Yemen). [Ancient Near East] [Coins]...

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Romaion/Byzantine Empire (coins)

Renamed Constantinople in 330 AD, the ancient city of Byzantion gave its name to a combined Greek and Roman culture that lasted for almost 1000 years. The `Byzantines` never referred to each other as such; they called themselves Romaioi, the Greek word for Roman. In 1453 AD, the Ottoman Turks overran Constantinople, putting an end to the Romaioi an...

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Sasanian 4 (coins) Sasanian Empire

The coins and history of asia [Persian Empire] [coins]...

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Elymais (coins)

The coins and history of asia. Not much is known of the history of the Elymaid rulers. It seems they were quasi-independent but subject to the Parthian kings. Their kingdom was located south of Susa and northwest of Persis, at the head of the Persian Gulf in what would be modern southwestern Iran. Their coinage commences about 150 BC and lasts unti...

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Judaean Kingdom (coins)

Judaea was part of the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great subjugated it in 332 BC. After Alexander's death, the Jews came under the rule of the Ptolomies of Egypt and the Seleucids in 198 BC. Before the end of the 2nd century the Hasmoneans had won full autonomy from their former Greek rulers. In 63 BC Pompey incorporated Israel into the Roma...

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Romaion/Byzantine Empire 2 (coins)

Renamed Constantinople in 330 AD, the ancient city of Byzantion gave its name to a combined Greek and Roman culture that lasted for almost 1000 years. The `Byzantines` never referred to each other as such; they called themselves Romaioi, the Greek word for Roman. In 1453 AD, the Ottoman Turks overran Constantinople, putting an end to the Romaioi an...

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Babylonian calendar

The ancient Babylonians used a calendar with alternating 29- and 30-day months. This system required the addition of an extra month three times every eight years, and as a further adjustment the king would periodically order the insertion of an additional extra month into the calendar....

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Other calendars used in the ancient Near East

Of the calendars of other peoples of the ancient Near East, very little is known. Thus, though the names of all or of some months are known, their order is not. The months were probably everywhere lunar, but evidence for intercalation is often lacking; the Assyrians, the Hittites and Iran....

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