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Stater - Alexander III Kolchis imitation
| Issuer | Bastarnae Celto-Scythians |
|---|---|
| Year | 100 BC - 100 AD |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Highly schematized and barbarized effigy derived from the head of Athena facing right, as seen on the prototype Alexander III Kolchis staters. The helmet, originally Corinthian in type, is rendered in a deeply abstracted Celtic manner with diagonal striations suggesting the crest, while the facial features are reduced to geometric pellet-and-line elements. Scattered pellets occupy the field, a hallmark of Celto-Scythian die-cutting tradition. No legible legend is present, the prototype inscription having been entirely abandoned by the engraver. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Schematized and heavily barbarized rendition of the Nike figure derived from the reverse of Alexander III gold staters, here reduced to an assemblage of geometric lines and raised pellets. The central motif, originally Nike standing and crowning a trophy, is abstracted into a rectilinear framework of intersecting bars suggestive of outstretched wings and drapery folds, surrounded by multiple pellets dispersed across the field. No inscription or exergual legend is present, reflecting the complete stylistic departure from the Macedonian prototype characteristic of Celto-Scythian imitative coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The Bastarnae occupied a contested zone between the Celtic and Scythian worlds, and their gold staters imitating Alexander III types were almost certainly struck to facilitate mercenary payments and cross-cultural trade rather than civic monetary use. The prototype — the Lysimachan and Alexandrine stater tradition — carried enough prestige across the northern Black Sea region that copying it was a political and commercial act simultaneously.
Kolchis-type imitations are distinguished from other barbarian Alexander derivatives by specific stylistic degeneration patterns that developed independently along the eastern Pontic corridor.