Microanalysis of the Chemical Composition of the Metal of the AD 267/8 Bosporan Staters: New Data on Potential Sources of Copper

The chemical composition of the metal of the staters of the Bosporan King Rhescuporis V with the date ΔΞФ (564 Bosporan era = AD 267/8) is studied. For the first time, the presence of chlorine is detected not only on the surface of coins, which is associated with the technique of using special silvering pastes based on silver chlorides, but precisely in the core of the coin, which is rich in copper. The discovery of copper chloride in the core of the coin suggests that the raw material for the coinage alloy could be metal from oxidation zones of copper deposits in the steppe zone or deserts, or deposits located near the Black Sea coast. Similar deposits with chlorine-containing copper ores, which were mined in ancient times, are known in the Eastern Black Sea region, the Caucasus, Anatolia, the Urals, and Kazakhstan.