Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXIII 24-25 Mar 2022
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Kings of the Bosporos, Asander (as king) AV Stater. Dated RY 17 = 31/0 BC. Diademed head to right / Nike standing to left on prow, holding wreath and palm; BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, AΣANΔPOY to left, ZI (date) in inner left field. MacDonald 206; RPC I 1854; HGC 7, 201. 8.00g, 20mm, 12h.
NGC graded AU 4/5 - 2/5, brushed, bent (#6158066-006). Extremely Rare; only one other example with this date offered at auction in over 20 years.
From the GK Collection.
Asander rose to prominence in the Kimmerian Bosporos after defeating Pharnakes II in battle. However, Julius Caesar instead appointed Mithridates of Pergamum, his personal friend, as ruler of the Bosporos, angering Asander, who also defeated and killed the new Mithridates II in 47 or 46 BC. He was left in sole control and quickly strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying Pharnakes' daughter Dynamis, but only assumed the title of archon, likely a concession to Rome, which had and would in the future confirm all Bosporan kings. Circa 43 or 42 BC, Octavian recognised Asander as king, most probably to shore up a potential ally in the chaotic aftermath of his adopted father Caesar's assassination. Asander was designated 'Philocaesar Philoromaios', a title recognising the support of the Romans and personal connection with Octavian himself. Little else is known about his reign, but in later life it appears that his wife acted as regent, with coins minted under her authority, until Asander committed suicide by starvation in about 16 BC in the face of an army desertion.
In his earlier gold staters, struck while he was still archon, Asander is portrayed with short hair and an idealised face, leading to various identification of the portrait as that of Marc Antony, Octavian, or Asander himself. While the facial features remain consistent on this later portrait, the longer hairstyle, reminiscent of Mithridates VI Eupator and standard among Bosporan monarchs, marks his transition from archon to king. The reverse type of Nike on prow is common to all his staters, and implies a naval victory, possibly over Mithridates II, the Tauri or other pirates, an interpretation supported by a fragmentary stone inscription, which does not record the date or identity of the defeated enemy. The staters of Asander bear Greek letter-numeral dates counting the years of his rule: this type, from the seventeenth year, is extremely rare and unlisted in the Handbook of Greek Coinage, with only one other example offered at auction in over two decades.
NGC graded AU 4/5 - 2/5, brushed, bent (#6158066-006). Extremely Rare; only one other example with this date offered at auction in over 20 years.
From the GK Collection.
Asander rose to prominence in the Kimmerian Bosporos after defeating Pharnakes II in battle. However, Julius Caesar instead appointed Mithridates of Pergamum, his personal friend, as ruler of the Bosporos, angering Asander, who also defeated and killed the new Mithridates II in 47 or 46 BC. He was left in sole control and quickly strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying Pharnakes' daughter Dynamis, but only assumed the title of archon, likely a concession to Rome, which had and would in the future confirm all Bosporan kings. Circa 43 or 42 BC, Octavian recognised Asander as king, most probably to shore up a potential ally in the chaotic aftermath of his adopted father Caesar's assassination. Asander was designated 'Philocaesar Philoromaios', a title recognising the support of the Romans and personal connection with Octavian himself. Little else is known about his reign, but in later life it appears that his wife acted as regent, with coins minted under her authority, until Asander committed suicide by starvation in about 16 BC in the face of an army desertion.
In his earlier gold staters, struck while he was still archon, Asander is portrayed with short hair and an idealised face, leading to various identification of the portrait as that of Marc Antony, Octavian, or Asander himself. While the facial features remain consistent on this later portrait, the longer hairstyle, reminiscent of Mithridates VI Eupator and standard among Bosporan monarchs, marks his transition from archon to king. The reverse type of Nike on prow is common to all his staters, and implies a naval victory, possibly over Mithridates II, the Tauri or other pirates, an interpretation supported by a fragmentary stone inscription, which does not record the date or identity of the defeated enemy. The staters of Asander bear Greek letter-numeral dates counting the years of his rule: this type, from the seventeenth year, is extremely rare and unlisted in the Handbook of Greek Coinage, with only one other example offered at auction in over two decades.