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Æ Unit - Bocchus I Siga
| Issuer | Mauretania |
|---|---|
| Year | 118 BC - 33 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | CNNM#108 , MAA#42 |
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| Reverse description | Standing male figure, identified as Dionysos, depicted facing left in full length. The deity extends his right hand forward holding a bunch of grapes, while his left hand grasps a thyrsos; a ram stands to his right with the figure appearing to restrain it by the horn. A Neo-Punic inscription is enclosed within a rectangular cartouche positioned to the right of the central design, serving as the sole epigraphic element on the reverse. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Bocchus I is best known not for his coinage but for his betrayal of Jugurtha — it was Bocchus who handed the Numidian king to Sulla in 105 BC, effectively ending the Jugurthine War and earning Rome's lasting goodwill along with territorial concessions in western Numidia. His bronzes struck at Siga, the Mauretanian royal capital near the mouth of the Tafna River, reflect a kingdom positioning itself as a serious Mediterranean player rather than a peripheral client state.
The date range assigned to this type spans nearly a century, covering potentially multiple rulers, which makes precise attribution contentious among specialists working with the MAA sequence.