Public Munificence and Power Negotiations in the Bosporan Kingdom

This article investigates public munificence (euergetism) in the Bosporan Kingdom from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE, examining how gift exchange and honorific practices operated within a long-lasting framework of Roman dependency. Analysing a corpus of 118 inscriptions—comprising tituli honorarii, public dedications, and building inscriptions—the study demonstrates that munificence served as a vital mechanism for ongoing power negotiation rather than mere court propaganda. Rulers utilised benefactions, imperial titulature, and architectural patronage to secure their “two-level sovereignty” under Roman hegemony. At the same time, municipal elites and court dignitaries employed building initiatives and honours to legitimise their social status and compete for local influence. Furthermore, the epigraphic evidence reveals clear regional divergences. While the European Bosporus remained heavily centralised around the royal court at Panticapaeum, the Asiatic cities displayed greater civic agency and institutional self-organisation. Ultimately, Bosporan euergetism represents a dynamic process of cultural glocalisation that successfully bridged Roman imperial authority, Greek civic traditions, and nomadic steppe elements to maintain internal cohesion along the Black Sea frontier.