© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/15700577-12341353
Ancient Civilizations
from Scythia to Siberia 25 (2019) 308-356
brill.com/acss
A Hoard of 3rd-4th Centuries AD Bosporan Staters
from Phanagoria (2011)
Mikhail G. Abramzon*
Department of Classical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, Russian
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Research Institute for Historical Anthropology and Philology
Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University, Magnitogorsk, Russia
abramzon-m@mail.ru
Vladimir D. Kuznetsov**
Department of Classical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, Russian
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Museum-Preserve “Phanagoria”, Sennaya, Russia
phanagor@mail.ru
Abstract
The paper is a preliminary publication of a large hoard of Bosporan staters found in
Phanagoria’s Eastern necropolis in 2011. It contains 3695 coins struck in the 3rd-4th
centuries AD under Ininthimaios, Rhescuporis V, Pharsanzes, Sauromates IV, Teiranes
and Thothorses, as well as barbarian imitations of latter staters. The Phanagorian
hoard is evidence on the historical background of the epoch and sheds new light on
the economy, currency and many technical aspects of the coin production in the Late
Bosporos. The recent survey of coins from the hoard by X-ray spectroscopy and the
neutron tomography first revealed staters of Sauromates IV, Teiranes and Thothorses
with the silver content and surface-silvered coating. The treasure was deposited in AD
307/308, due to political instability in the region caused by the increased barbarian
pressure on the borders of the Roman Empire and the ancient states in the Black Sea
Region.
* Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19, Dm. Uliyanov str., 117036,
Moscow, Russia; Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University, 38, pr. Lenina, 455000,
Magnitogorsk, Russia.
** Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19, Dm. Uliyanov str., 117036,
Moscow, Russia.