Æ18 - Septimius Severus ΠΡΟΥϹΑΕΩΝ

Prusa ad Olympum — modern Bursa, at the foot of Mount Uludağ — was a prosperous Bithynian city that minted bronze coinage under Severus with enough regularity to suggest active civic pride in the arrangement. Provincial bronzes of this type were struck entirely at local expense, with the city bearing the cost as a demonstration of loyalty to the new emperor. Severus, who seized power after the chaos of 193 AD's Year of the Five Emperors, actively encouraged such displays from eastern provincial cities still uncertain about the new regime.