Nicaea was one of the dominant cities of Bithynia, perpetually locked in rivalry with Nicomedia over which held primacy in the province — a dispute that spilled into coinage, civic titles, and imperial petitions throughout the Severan period. Municipal bronzes of this type were struck on local authority, not imperial directive, and their production reflects Nicaea's ongoing effort to assert civic prestige through demonstrable loyalty to the new dynasty. Septimius Severus rewarded such loyalty: he needed eastern city support badly after the civil wars against Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus consumed the early years of his reign.
Nicaea was one of the dominant cities of Bithynia, perpetually locked in rivalry with Nicomedia over which held primacy in the province — a dispute that spilled into coinage, civic titles, and imperial petitions throughout the Severan period. Municipal bronzes of this type were struck on local authority, not imperial directive, and their production reflects Nicaea's ongoing effort to assert civic prestige through demonstrable loyalty to the new dynasty. Septimius Severus rewarded such loyalty: he needed eastern city support badly after the civil wars against Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus consumed the early years of his reign.