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Æ23 - Marcus Aurelius ΜΗΤ ΝΕΩ ΝΕΙΚΟΜΗ
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 161-162 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Asclepius, the god of medicine, rendered in full figure standing facing, his head turned to the left, clad in a long himation draped over the lower body and left shoulder. He holds his distinctive serpent-entwined staff (caduceus/kerykeion of Asclepius) upright in his right hand, with the coiled serpent clearly visible. The civic legend of Nicomedia as neokoros metropolis is distributed around the field, reading ΜΗΤ ΝΕΩ ΝΕΙΚΟΜΗ. |
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| Mintage | ND (161-162) |
| Additional information |
Nicomedia struck this issue in 161–162 to celebrate a formal elevation in civic status — the city had been lobbying Rome for recognition as the *neokoros*, the official keeper of the imperial cult, a title that conferred both religious prestige and commercial advantage over rival Bithynian cities. The precise dating to 161–162 places it within months of Marcus Aurelius's accession following the death of Antoninus Pius, when cities across the eastern provinces rushed to court the new emperor with honorific issues.
Nicomedia and Nicaea feuded bitterly over provincial primacy for decades. This coin is part of that argument, struck in bronze and circulated locally as civic propaganda.