Stater - Aspurgus Augustus and Agrippa

Aspurgus was the first Bosporan king to secure formal recognition from Rome, receiving client-king status from Augustus — and almost certainly from Tiberius as well, since the transition of power in 14 AD complicates the precise dating of his Roman allegiances. This stater, pairing his portrait with that of Agrippa rather than the reigning emperor, reflects the specific diplomatic relationship Aspurgus cultivated: Agrippa had been the Roman official most directly responsible for stabilizing the Black Sea region, and honoring him posthumously was a pointed political gesture toward Rome's memory of that arrangement.