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Æ17 - Antoninus Pius ΤΟΝ ϹΩΤΗΡΑ ΝΙΚΑΙΕΙϹ
| Issuer | Nicaea (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 138-161 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Asclepius, the god of medicine, depicted standing facing with head turned to the left, his body draped in a long himation. He holds his distinctive serpent-entwined staff (the asklepios) in his right hand, the coiling snake rendered along the length of the rod. The civic legend of Nicaea is distributed around the figure in the field, dedicating the type to the saviour deity. The reverse type reflects the prominent cult of Asclepius at Nicaea and the city's veneration of Antoninus Pius as a divine protector. |
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| Additional information |
Nicaea's civic bronze coinage under Antoninus Pius reflects a city acutely aware of its own prestige — it had long disputed primacy with neighboring Nicomedia, a rivalry so bitter that both cities lobbied Rome repeatedly for the title of "First City of Bithynia." Honorific titles on local bronzes were partly a function of that competition, each issue a small argument in an ongoing municipal quarrel settled more by imperial favor than by fact.