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Æ23 - Domitian Η ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΤΗ (Ε)ΙΘΥ (Ι)ΑΣ), ΝΙΚΟ-ΜΗ (above)
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 81-96 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ (Translation: Emperor Domitian Caesar Augustus Germanicus) |
| Reverse description | A serpent coiled upon a ship's prow, oriented to the left, a type associated with Nicomedia's civic identity and its claim as metropolis of Bithynia. The design is set within a wreath border, with the city's title legend distributed around the field. The prow is rendered in detail typical of Bithynian provincial bronzes of the Flavian period. |
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Nicomedia's claim to the title "Metropolis and First of Bithynia" was fiercely contested throughout the imperial period, most aggressively by Nicaea, and the rivalry between the two cities produced a prolonged series of embassies to Rome and competing honorific coinages. The legend on this issue is effectively a political declaration, struck during Domitian's reign when Nicomedia was pressing its precedence claims through every available channel — coinage included.
Domitian himself took an unusually active interest in provincial civic disputes, which may account for why such titles appear with greater frequency on Bithynian bronzes precisely during the 80s and 90s AD.