Æ29 - Caracalla ΑΜΑϹΤΡΙΑΝΩΝ

Amastris was a coastal city on the Black Sea founded by the niece of Darius III, who named it after herself following her divorce from Craterus, one of Alexander's successors. Under Roman provincial administration it joined the Pontic koinon and retained the right to strike civic bronze — a privilege tied to local prestige rather than commercial necessity, which is why so many of these issues survive in relatively modest numbers with no clear evidence of heavy mercantile use.

Caracalla's reign saw a surge in civic bronze production across Bithynia and Pontus, partly driven by his 212 AD Constitutio Antoniniana extending citizenship empire-wide and prompting cities to curry imperial favor through coinage.