Coin of Cotys I of Bosporos c. 46 - 78

Curator: This is a coin of Cotys I of Bosporos, a small but potent emblem of power from antiquity. What strikes you immediately? Editor: The patina. All that verdigris suggests time, history, the slow oxidation of empires. Curator: Indeed. Coins like these weren't merely currency; they were propaganda. How does the image of Cotys I, likely idealized, reinforce his authority? Editor: Well, portraits on coinage often connect rulers with divine traits, but here, the wear makes him seem less godlike and more a figure battling time itself. There is a tension between power and decay. Curator: A potent reminder that even empires eventually erode. Thank you for these insights. Editor: A sobering thought rendered in miniature.