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Comana Pontica was one of the great temple-cities of the ancient world, dominated by the sanctuary of Ma, a war goddess whose cult drew thousands of temple slaves and attendants. The city gained the right to strike civic bronze during the period of Pontic royal expansion under Mithridates VI, who used such local issues as part of a broader strategy to cultivate loyalty among autonomous urban centers along his northern frontier.

The HGC 7 listing places this among a small, tightly defined group of autonomous bronzes from the region — issues that ceased entirely after Pompey reorganized Pontus as a Roman province in 63 BC.