Æ20 - Marcus Aurelius ΤΙΑΝΩΝ

Tium was a minor coastal polis on the Black Sea shore of Bithynia whose civic coinage under the Antonines reflects the town's modest ambitions rather than any particular prosperity. Under Marcus Aurelius, the city struck bronze in the early co-reign years alongside Lucius Verus, though issues attributable solely to Marcus — as this piece appears to be — suggest the mint was operating selectively rather than continuously. The ethnic ΤΙΑΝΩΝ confirms civic issue rather than any league or koinon affiliation.