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Stater - Alexander III Kolchis imitation
| Issuer | Bastarnae Celto-Scythians |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 1 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Stater = 20 Drachm |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Celticised figure of Nike rendered in a highly abstracted Celtic style, derived from the Nike reverse type of Alexander III gold staters. The standing figure is schematically presented facing, with body elements reduced to bold curved and linear relief forms that bear only a distant resemblance to the Hellenistic original. Two raised pellets are positioned to the left of the figure and two to the right, serving as characteristic Celtic decorative or control marks in the field. All naturalistic detail of the Hellenistic prototype has been supplanted by the dynamic, curvilinear aesthetic vocabulary of Celtic coinage. No legend or inscription is present. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (200 BC - 1 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Bastarnae occupied a contested zone between the Celtic and Scythian worlds, and their coin production reflects exactly that ambiguity — borrowing the prestige weight standard of Alexander's staters without any serious attempt at fidelity to the original types. These Kolchis-group imitations are named for the Black Sea region where many were found, not minted, and attributing them firmly to the Bastarnae remains a scholarly working hypothesis rather than settled fact.
The two-century date range signals the problem: no ancient source records a Bastarnae mint, and find-spot distribution does most of the attribution work here.