Æ15 - Septimius Severus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea's civic bronze issues under Septimius Severus reflect the city's careful alignment with the new Severan dynasty following the chaotic Year of the Five Emperors in 193 AD. Nicaea had backed Pescennius Niger during that civil war — a costly miscalculation. Continued coin production honoring Severus was, in part, the city's visible act of political reconciliation with the eventual victor.