Pantikapaion founded by Greek colonists from Miletus in the 6th century BC, was the principal city of the Bosporan Kingdom, located on the western shores of the Strait of Kerch (in present-day Crimea). A flourishing commercial hub, it controlled trade between the Greek world and the peoples of the steppes. Wealthy and powerful, Panticapaeum began minting its own coinage early on, a symbol of its autonomy and influence throughout the Pontic region.
