Æ18 - Hadrian ΚΥ/ΖΙ

Cyzicus held unusual standing among Asian Greek cities under Roman rule — its status as a free city, granted and periodically reaffirmed by Rome, gave local magistrates meaningful latitude over civic bronze coinage. The ΚΥ/ΖΙ abbreviation reflects that civic pride in abbreviated form, a minting convention the city maintained consistently across the Hadrianic period.

Hadrian visited the region during his extensive tour of the eastern provinces in 123–124 AD, and Cyzicus was among the cities that benefited most visibly from his patronage, receiving imperial funding toward its celebrated temple of Zeus.