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Stater of the Kingdom of Panticapaeum
4th century BC
Gold diameter 18 mm, weight 9.06 g
The finely executed representation of the
head of Satyr, the local god of agriculture,
on the obverse, and a griffin moving along
an ear of corn on the reverse, are allusions
to the main source of wealth in the
Bosporus during the 4th century BC: grain,
large quantities of which were exported to
Greece. The coin's artistic merits place it
among the most remarkable examples of the
ancient coin-maker's art.
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