Æ18 - Augustus

Sinope's status as a Roman colony — formally established by Julius Caesar in 45 BC — meant its civic coinage operated under a different framework than most Greek city issues in the region. This piece dates to the period immediately following Augustus's sweeping constitutional settlement of 27 BC, when the emperor was systematically reorganizing provincial administration across the East. The colony retained the right to strike bronze, a privilege not automatically extended to all Pontic cities absorbed into Roman provincial structure.

RPC I 2120 is among the relatively few colonial bronzes firmly attributable to this narrow two-year window.