Stater of Rhescuporis III of Bosporos c. 211 - 226

Curator: This is a silver stater of Rhescuporis III, a ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom. It's quite small, really, just over 7 grams. Editor: It's aged, weathered... I'm struck by how intimate it feels. A little silver world, worn smooth by history. Curator: These coins weren't just money; they were propaganda. Rhescuporis is asserting his power. Note the symbols. They spoke volumes about legitimacy in that time. Editor: Power made portable. I see his profile, yes, but also the traces of labor and extraction, the social relations embedded in a single coin. Who mined the silver? Who struck the die? Curator: Right! It's a window into a whole economic and political system. And I find it fascinating how something so tiny could carry so much weight, so much meaning. Editor: Indeed. A potent reminder that even the smallest objects can hold the weight of empires, of human stories still rippling through time.