Pontus Bronze — Zeus Supreme Authority Type, Struck Under Mithradates VI, NGC-Certified

Own a Bronze Coin Where Mithridates VI Claimed the Authority of Zeus Against Rome

A real Mithridates VI bronze — bearing Zeus enthroned, the king of the gods, whose authority the ruler of Pontus invoked to legitimize three decades of armed resistance against the Roman Republic. The fourth and final piece of the Mithridatic bronze series. NGC certified.

$73.08

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⚡ Obverse features Zeus enthroned — the supreme king of the gods, equating Mithridates' royal authority with divine universal kingship
📜 Reverse bears BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΥΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ — King Eupator — his full royal title in Greek, the language of the civilization he fought to defend
🤲 The most politically direct of the Amisos bronzes — Zeus's authority placed behind a king who fought Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey and survived two of them

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

The Zeus bronze is the most politically direct statement in Mithridates VI's remarkable coinage program at Amisos. Where the Dionysus appealed to Greek cultural unity, the Ares declared martial fury, and the Gorgoneion invoked supernatural protection, the Zeus bronze made the boldest claim of all — that the authority of Mithridates VI Eupator was backed by Zeus himself, the supreme king of the gods, whose universal dominion legitimized Pontic resistance against Roman expansion.

The reverse inscription BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΥΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ — King Eupator — states his title in full, in Greek, the language of the civilization he positioned himself to defend. This was a king who spoke twenty-two languages, claimed descent from both Alexander the Great and the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, and built a Black Sea empire that controlled the grain routes feeding the Roman world. He immunized himself against poison through years of graduated exposure. He was said to have sixteen legitimate sons. He massacred over 80,000 Roman and Italian civilians across Asia Minor in 88 BC in a single coordinated act of defiance that shocked the ancient world.

He fought Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey across three wars spanning nearly thirty years — outlasting the first two and forcing Rome to commit its greatest generals to a conflict that would not end until 63 BC, when Mithridates, betrayed by his own son and cornered on the Black Sea, died by his own hand rather than be taken by Rome. This bronze circulated through all of it — the wars, the sieges, the temporary victories, the final collapse. Zeus enthroned on a coin that was still circulating when the king who struck it fell. Certified by NGC.

Perfect for:

• Collectors of Pontic, Black Sea, and Mithridatic Wars era bronze coinage
• History lovers drawn to Mithridates VI and Rome's greatest Hellenistic adversary
• Zeus enthroned type, Pontic royal titulature, and complete Amisos series collectors
• Anyone seeking the fourth piece of the complete Mithridatic bronze set — Gorgoneion, Ares, Dionysus, and Zeus

What You'll Receive

• One authentic Mithridates VI Zeus bronze
• Denomination: AE Bronze (everyday Pontic coinage)
• NGC certified for authenticity
• Struck 120–63 BC at Pontic mints — similar to examples shown (each coin is unique)

Buy with Confidence

• Guaranteed authentic ancient coin
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

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