Æ18 - Septimius Severus ΠΡΟΥϹΑΕΩΝ

Prusa ad Olympum was a mid-tier Bithynian city without the political weight of Nicomedia or Nicaea, yet it maintained a civic bronze coinage under Septimius Severus — likely as a function of local administrative pride rather than commercial necessity. The city owed its profile partly to its position near the slopes of Olympus and to thermal springs that attracted visitors of some means, though it never secured the neokorate status that drove larger civic minting programs in the region.

At 1.71g, this piece sits at the lighter end of the Æ18 spectrum for Bithynian civic issues, possibly reflecting flan preparation inconsistencies common to smaller municipal workshops.