Greece Thracian Or Scythian 54 BC AV Stater Coson NGC Ancients MS

SKYTHIA, Geto-Dacians. Koson. Mid 1st century BC. AV Stater (21mm, 8.46 g, 11h). Roman consul accompanied by two lictors; monogram to left / Eagle standing left on scepter, holding wreath in talon; KOΣΩΝ in exergue.

For years, experts thought coins marked "Koson" were made by a Thracian ruler for Brutus, the guy who helped kill Julius Caesar. This idea came from Theodor Mommsen, who pointed to a historical text saying Brutus used gold and silver from a Thracian dynast’s wife to mint coins. The coins looked like Roman ones Brutus made in 54 BC, and some thought a symbol on them stood for Brutus. But in 1912, Max Bahrfeldt argued they were linked to a Getic king named Coson (or Cotiso), who was set to ally with Octavian, Caesar’s heir, through a marriage deal.

Mommsen’s theory stuck because of his fame and Brutus’ notoriety, but Octavian Iliescu backed Bahrfeldt with solid evidence. Most Koson coins come from Transylvania, not Thrace, and their weight matches coins from an earlier war, not the Roman standard Brutus used. Plus, their design mixes Brutus’ coin with one from 30 years earlier, not a direct copy. Local finds show Transylvanian coins often blended Roman styles, so the Brutus link isn’t special. The symbol on the coins, once thought to mean Brutus, might actually stand for “king,” like on coins of another Thracian ruler.

Coson and Cotiso are likely the same person, with “Coson” possibly a typo in old texts. These coins, the only ones tied to this Geto-Dacian king, show how Dacia traded with Rome. The power struggle between Octavian and Mark Antony, especially over a broken marriage promise involving Octavian’s daughter, gave local kings like Cotiso a chance to gain clout and mint their own coins, boosting their prestige.