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Stater - Sauromates II Commodus
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 179 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | Laureate bust of the Roman Emperor Commodus facing right, depicted with characteristic curled hair and a laurel wreath, framed by a beaded border. A spear or sceptre appears to the right of the effigy, an attribute emphasising imperial authority. In the lower field, the Greek letters ΕΟΥ record the Bosporan regnal year 475 (corresponding to 179 AD). The design reflects the political dependency of the Bosporan Kingdom on Rome, with the reigning Roman emperor honoured on the reverse of the local royal coinage. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΕΟΥ (Translation: [year] 475) |
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| Additional information |
Sauromates II ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client of Rome, and this stater dates to a year when both Sauromates and Commodus held power simultaneously — the coin's dating by regnal year of the reigning Roman emperor was a deliberate political formality, not a convenience. The Bosporan kingdom had long since abandoned any pretense of independence from Rome, and the dual-authority coinage makes that arrangement explicit in metal.
Electrum composition by this period was heavily debased relative to earlier Bosporan issues, a degradation that had been creeping through the series since the mid-second century.