Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ - Ateas
| Issuer | Kings of Skythia |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 339 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A Scythian horseman depicted at full gallop to the left, rendered in a dynamic and energetic composition typical of nomadic steppe coinage. The rider is shown in native Scythian dress, with a gorytos (combined bow and arrow case) suspended from his belt, serving as an emblematic symbol of Scythian warrior identity. The horse is portrayed with extended legs in a flying gallop, conveying speed and martial prowess. The flan edges are irregular, consistent with the hand-struck production methods of the period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Ateas ruled the Pontic steppe as the most powerful Scythian king on record, unifying tribes across a territory stretching from the Danube to the Don before his death at the Battle of Vovina in 339 BC — reportedly at the age of ninety. His conflict with Philip II of Macedon, which ended his reign and his life, is the reason these bronzes represent the only firmly attributed royal Scythian coinage. Without that confrontation forcing a degree of political formalization, it is unlikely Ateas would have issued civic-style coinage at all.