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Stater - Aspurgus Augustus and Agrippa
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 28 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 21 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Bare head of Agrippa (possibly identified as Tiberius or Drusus by some authorities) facing right, rendered in a style closely paralleling the obverse portrait. A monogram of King Aspurgus (ΒΑΡ, abbreviating ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΣΠΟΥΡΓΟΥ) appears to the left of the head, while the Bosporan regnal date ΔΚΤ (numerals for year 324 of the Bosporan era, corresponding to 28 AD) is placed below the bust. The lettering is in Greek characters and serves both as a royal titulature and a precise chronological marker. The field is otherwise plain, consistent with hammered gold stater production of the early Aspurgan dynasty. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΡ ΔΚΤ (Translation: of King Aspurgus, 324) |
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| Additional information |
Aspurgus consolidated Bosporan power by playing Rome with remarkable skill — he secured recognition from Augustus, then Tiberius, and eventually held the title "Friend of the Romans" while maintaining functional independence on the northern Black Sea coast. This stater, issued in regnal year 28 of the Bosporan era, reflects the deliberate bilingual political identity he cultivated: a client king who advertised Roman connections on his coinage precisely because that endorsement underwrote his authority against rival dynasts and Sarmatian pressure from the steppe.
Agrippa's presence on the coin likely postdates his death in 12 BC, making this a commemorative pairing rather than a contemporary portrait issue.