Æ16 - Septimius Severus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea's civic bronze issues under Septimius Severus reflect the city's careful navigation of the civil wars of 193 AD — the Year of the Five Emperors. Nicaea initially backed Pescennius Niger, whose base of support ran deep across the eastern provinces including Bithynia. When Severus prevailed, cities like Nicaea resumed normal coin production under the new dynasty, and the survival of civic types bearing Severus's name attests to a relatively smooth administrative transition rather than punitive reorganization.