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Hemistater - Eumelus / Spartocus III
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 340 BC - 283 BC |
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| Composition | Gold |
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| Obverse description | Beardless head of a youthful satyr facing left, rendered in high relief in the Hellenistic tradition. The satyr's hair is elaborately styled with flowing locks and adorned with a wreath or ivy, with characteristic pointed ear visible. The facial features are finely modeled, with prominent cheekbones and a slightly open mouth, conveying the vigorous, dionysiac spirit typical of Bosporan coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Bosporan Kingdom occupied a commercially vital position controlling grain exports from the northern Black Sea to Athens, and the Spartocid dynasty — nominally subordinate to the Athenians as client rulers — minted in gold precisely because that trade ran on Attic weight standards. This hemistater sits within the reigns of either Eumelus (309–304 BC) or Spartocus III (304–284 BC), an attribution problem the references have never fully resolved.
Eumelus is the more historically colorful candidate: ancient sources, particularly Diodorus Siculus, record that he seized power by murdering his brothers and then pursued an aggressive anti-piracy campaign in the Black Sea to court Greek favor.