Tyras

Tyras (Ancient Greek: Τύρας) was an ancient Greek city on the northern coast of the Black Sea, also called Tyran (Τύραν).¹ Stephanus of Byzantium reports that it was formerly called Ophiussa (Ὀφιοῦσσα).¹ It was founded by colonists from Miletus, probably about 600 BC. The city was situated some 10 km from the mouth of the Tyras River, which is now called the Dniester. The surrounding native tribe was called the Tyragetae. The ruins of Tyras are now located in the modern city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in the Odesa Oblast of Ukraine.

History

Of great importance in early times, in the 2nd century BC Tyras fell under the dominion of native kings whose names appear on its coins, and it was destroyed by the Getae about 50 BC.²

In 56 AD, it seems to have been restored by the Romans under Nero and, henceforth, formed part of the province of Lower Moesia. There exists a series of its coins with heads of emperors from Domitian to Alexander Severus.²

Indeed, the autonomous minting of coins in the city lasted from the time of the emperor Domitian (81 AD) up to the end of the reign of the emperor Alexander Severus (235 AD) with few breaks. The coins of Tyras of this period were of copper with the portraits of the members of the Imperial house for the province of the .