Bithynium was the birthplace of Antinous, Hadrian's famously beloved companion, who drowned in the Nile in 130 AD. The city exploited that connection aggressively after Antinous's death and deification, and Hadrian reciprocated with visible imperial favor toward the town. Bronze civic issues under Hadrian from Bithynium carry that political subtext, however plainly they present themselves.
Bithynium was the birthplace of Antinous, Hadrian's famously beloved companion, who drowned in the Nile in 130 AD. The city exploited that connection aggressively after Antinous's death and deification, and Hadrian reciprocated with visible imperial favor toward the town. Bronze civic issues under Hadrian from Bithynium carry that political subtext, however plainly they present themselves.