Vonones I
~ 8 – 12 AD
Onōnēs | ΟΝΩΝΗΣ | وُنون یکم | بهنام |
Recreation of Parthian King, Vonones I from coins. Download
A likeness of Vonones with an alternative background. Download
Ver.1.0 - Last updated: Oct 6th 2021, by Mo. Rasoulipour
Brief Biography
“The Parthian nobility now turned to one of the sons of Phraates IV who had been sent to Rome. Augustus returned the eldest of them, Vonones, to Parthia where he was crowned king in 8/9. But life in Rome, in the opinion of the Parthians at least, had made Vonones “soft,” and they were unhappy about his tight budgetary control, so a rival candidate was set up by a section of the nobility. This was Artabanus who came from the northeast of Iran, probably Hyrcania.” … “When he first tried to seize power he was defeated by Vonones. Only at the second attempt was he successful, being crowned king in Ctesiphon in 10/11. Vonones withdrew to Armenia where he occupied the vacant throne for a short time, probably with Roman approval. However, when Artabanus threatened military action against him, the Romans withdrew their support from Vonones.”…
- Excerpt from Encyclopedia Iranica
References
Coins of Vonones I were used for this recreation. Vonones coins are classified as Sellwood Type 60, and a source of controversy during his rule. Vonones, having grown up in Rome, did not show steadfast commitment to Parthian ways. He broke tradition in many ways, most notably, struck his name on the front side of the coins.
Likely Accuracy of the Creative Recreation
Weak Guess:
Due to the lack of realism in coins minted in this period of Parthian Empire makes it very hard to make out the details of Vonones I’s face. Although there are elements in which the coins minted in Seleucia seem to have in common which might help in a better guess. So with a certain level of relative confidence we can guess that the nose had slight curve inwards and beard trimmed almost square at the bottom. The clothing and crown show typical elements.
Note: One of the elements that makes this recreation harder is uncertainty about the origin of his mother. Roman historian Tacitus, believes that his mother might have been a Scythian princess. If that is true, could his completion be lighter?
See the latest work in progress:
Permissions
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You are however not permitted to sell the products or place barriers of access for public view and use.
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