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Tetrachalkon - Mithridates VI
| Issuer | Amisos (Pontos) |
|---|---|
| Year | 120 BC - 63 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Reverse description | Central field dominated by a Macedonian-style round shield decorated with a star pattern, flanked by a crested helmet above and a bow-in-bowcase and quiver below, all arranged vertically as symbols of military prowess. The Greek ethnic legend ΑΜΙΣΟΥ is disposed around the device in the field, with letters visible to the left, right, and lower portions of the design. A star with rays appears in the upper left field. The composition is typical of Pontic civic bronze coinage struck under Mithridates VI, combining civic and royal military iconography within an open field. |
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| Mintage | ND (120 BC - 63 BC) |
| Additional information |
Amisos enjoyed a peculiar semi-autonomous status under Mithridates VI, who permitted the city to issue bronze coinage in its own name — a political concession that kept the prosperous Black Sea port cooperative without requiring direct administrative absorption. The city had been refounded and renamed Piraeus briefly under Athenian colonists before reverting to its older identity, and that civic pride was evidently worth managing carefully.
The extraordinarily long reign span attributed to this type reflects the difficulty of narrowing production within Mithridates' 57-year rule. After Lucullus sacked Amisos in 71 BC, Pompey formally restored the city, but bronze civic coinage of this type had effectively ended.