Æ16 - Septimius Severus ϹΕΟΥΗΡΙΑ ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea was one of the most politically active minting cities in Bithynia during the Severan period, issuing bronze for local circulation while the city simultaneously jockeyed for primacy against its rival Nicomedia — a rivalry so bitter it repeatedly drew imperial arbitration. The civic title ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ on this piece reflects exactly that competition for status.