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Stater - Sauromates I Hadrian
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom (Bosporos) |
|---|---|
| Year | 118 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Stater (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and draped bust of Sauromates I facing right, rendered in a Hellenistic style typical of Bosporan royal coinage. The king's hair falls in wavy locks beneath the diadem, with fine engraving detail visible on the drapery at the shoulder. A circular beaded border frames the design, with the royal Greek legend distributed around the periphery of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ΔΙΥ (Translation: [year] 414) |
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| Additional information |
Sauromates I ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client king under Roman authority, and this stater reflects that arrangement directly — the coin pairs his own image with that of Hadrian, who had just consolidated power following Trajan's death in 117 AD. The Bosporan kings maintained their gold coinage as a local privilege, one Rome tolerated because the kingdom controlled grain routes critical to feeding the Black Sea colonies. By Hadrian's reign the stater had already been debased repeatedly over generations, though this issue still retains meaningful gold content relative to later emissions.