ANIMAL IMAGES ON EARLY BOSPORAN SILVER COINS: ATTRIBUTION AND THEIR ORIGIN

Abstract

The subject of our study is the early coins of the kingdom of Bosporus, showing the head of a lion and an ant on the obverse. The coins have been known for a long time, but the discussion on their dates and circulation is still ongoing. While studying the Bosporan coins, it is customary to pay attention only to the design of the reverse. However, as a rule, it is rather primitive. The reason for this is the sizes of the coins which usually are very small and light. Given this circumstance, we tried to examine the figures depicted on the obverses. As a result, it was agreed upon that the depictions on the obverse could not have been borrowed from Ionia where the images of various animals on small money were made in a more casual way. On the contrary, the coins we studied have anatomically correct depictions, even small details are clearly shown. We think that the Bosporan coin issues were decorated with the images of sacred animals of the Scythians. This is confirmed by the very method how images of creatures are depicted. Their images are depicted in a style similar to that of Ziwiye. As a conclusion, in the period of the issue of the coins with the depiction of the head of a lion and an ant on the obverse, the Bosporan cities were trading almost exclusively with the Scythians. The Bosporan cities could have been much dependent on the Scythians. However, the style of the coins changed over time, which indicates a change in the status of the Bosporan cities.