"Some Ancient Coins of the Northern Black Sea – a Portrait of the Civilisation" by Alexey Shitvov

The Greek colonisation of the Northern Black Sea incidentally appeared to be almost synchronous with the raise of the first coinage systems of the Mediterranean. The first colonies arose in two distinctively different parts of the region, the Tauro-Scythian territory and the Cimmerian Bosporus, naturally divided by the Crimean Mountains. Although both the Tauri and the Cimmerians were ethnically Scythian nomads of an Iranian descent, their cultural traits had been forged through interactions with different neighbourhood. The arrival of Greek colonists in the region was to knead a new blend of civilisation, which left behind one of the most beautiful and ingenious examples of ancient art, warfare, jewellery and coins. The Greeks were also quite inhomogeneous in their origins with respect to the metropolises, which had an impact on the raise of the local city-states and alliances, amongst which the Spartocid Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus was the principal regional power in military affairs and commerce. The rich numismatic history of the region provides a fascinating insight on the cultural ethnogenesis at the edge of the Greek oecumene and the barbarian world. Read the full story here.