Kings of Scythia. Charaspes.

Kings of Scythia. Charaspes. Circa 190–188 BC. Æ (24 mm, 10.70 g).

Obv. Jugate heads of the Dioskouroi right, each wearing laureate pileus.

Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΧΑΡΑΣΠΟΥ. Eagle standing right on thunderbolt; below, ME in monogram.

Refs: Draganov, Skythian 524; Peykov Type 1, G2000; SNG BM Black Sea 350.

A rare bronze issue of Charaspes, one of the little-known kings of the Scythians on the western Black Sea coast. The obverse features the Dioskouroi, Castor and Pollux, depicted jugate and wearing their distinctive piloi—an iconography drawn from Greek tradition and reflecting the Hellenic influence that permeated the coinage of the Scythian rulers.

The reverse type of an eagle on thunderbolt is strikingly Macedonian in inspiration, long associated with Zeus and with the dynasties that had dominated the region since the conquests of Philip II and Alexander. By adopting such imagery, Charaspes’ coinage proclaimed his authority in a visual language readily intelligible to both Greek and indigenous subjects.

Very little is recorded of Charaspes himself, whose reign appears to have been brief and whose coinage is extremely scarce. These bronzes testify to the hybrid political and cultural environment of the northern Black Sea in the 2nd century BC, where Scythian dynasts sought legitimacy through Hellenic iconography while ruling over a diverse, multi-ethnic population.

Condition: Dark patina with clear detail; scarce and historically intriguing. Rare.