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Stater - Aspurgus Augustus and Agrippa
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 31 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Bare head of Agrippa facing right, rendered in a bold, high-relief Hellenistic style with short, roughly textured hair. To the left of the portrait, the monogram BAP (abbreviation of ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΣΠΟΥΡΓΟΥ, 'of King Aspurgus') is prominently placed in the field, composed of interlocking Greek letters within a rectangular ligature. Below the neck truncation, the Bosporan regnal year ΖΚΤ (327 of the Bosporan era, corresponding to 31 AD) is inscribed in the lower field. The coin exhibits the characteristic irregular hammered flan of Bosporan royal gold coinage. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Aspurgus consolidated Bosporan power by playing Rome with considerable skill — he secured recognition from Augustus, then Tiberius, adopting the title of king while maintaining the fiction of client status. This stater, struck in regnal year 31 of the Bosporan era, dates to that careful balancing act. The pairing with Agrippa rather than Augustus alone is unusual and reflects the political weight Agrippa carried in Rome's eastern arrangements before his death in 12 BC — suggesting this issue predates that event and narrows the window considerably.