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Æ19 - Valerian and Gallienus ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ ΝΕΟΚΟ
| Issuer | Cyzicus (Conventus of Cyzicus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.47 g |
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| Reverse description | A single large torch set upright in the field, its shaft entwined by a serpent rising from the base toward the flame, a motif emblematic of the Mysteries of Eleusis and the sacred rites associated with the neokorate status of Cyzicus. The composition is bold and centrally placed within a beaded border. The encircling Greek legend ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ ΝΕΟΚΟ proclaims the city's prestigious title as neokoros, a guardian of the imperial cult. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ ΝΕΟΚΟ |
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| Additional information |
Cyzicus held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times over its civic history, a distinction it competed for aggressively against rival cities in the Conventus. This provincial bronze was struck during the joint reign of Valerian I and Gallienus, a period when the empire was simultaneously fighting the Sassanids in the east and Germanic incursions across the Rhine and Danube. Valerian would be captured by Shapur I at Edessa in 260, the first Roman emperor taken prisoner in battle — ending the reign that authorized issues like this one.