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Stater - Sauromates II Commodus
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 182 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Laureate and draped bust of the Roman co-emperor Commodus to right, presented in the Roman imperial portrait style, with curly hair and a short beard. A six-pointed star or rosette symbol appears in the right field, serving as a mint or die control mark. The Bosporan regnal year ΗΟΥ (478 of the Bosporan era, corresponding to 182 AD) is inscribed prominently in the lower field, framed by a beaded border. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΗΟΥ (Translation: [year] 478) |
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| Additional information |
Sauromates II ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client king under Roman oversight, and these staters reflect that dependency directly — the obverse carries the reigning Roman emperor's portrait alongside the local king's, a visual arrangement that encoded the political relationship in metal. The pairing with Commodus dates this issue to after 177 AD, when Commodus was elevated to co-emperor, narrowing the production window considerably. Electrum coinage from the Bosporan mint deteriorated in gold content across the dynasty's later issues, and by this period the alloy was substantially debased from earlier Bosporan staters.