Reprezentări monetare ale zeiţei Afrodita în Marea Neagră
Representations of the Goddess Aphrodite on coins in the Black Sea

Summary/Abstract: The present paper presents evidence for the cult of the Goddess Aphrodite in the Black Sea region regarding the monetary iconography. Archaeological and epigraphical sources indicate the importance of the Goddess in the north part of the Black Sea and this also is supported by the monetary evidence. Aphrodite appears on 12 coins, mostly from the Roman Period and it is portrayed as a Goddess of power in the Bosporan Kingdom. The powerfull connection that Aphrodite has with the dynastic family appears both on coins and on inscriptions, as a goddess of fertility she garantees the continuation of the Kingdom and also as a marine deity she protects commerce which is fundamental for the wealth of the region. Other representations of Aphrodite on coins can be found in the South part of the Black Sea, one of them is from Tios and the other seven are from Amastris, all of them are dated in the fourth and third century B.C.

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