Æ19 - Septimius Severus ΝΕΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ

Nicomedia's claim to the title ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ — "temple warden" — was a point of fierce civic rivalry among Bithynian cities under Roman rule. The ΔΙϹ designation marks this as a double neokorate, acknowledging two imperial cult temples, a status Nicomedia lobbied for aggressively against Nicaea, its perpetual competitor for provincial primacy. Septimius Severus, consolidating support across the eastern provinces after defeating Pescennius Niger, was generous in confirming and granting such honors to cities that had backed him.