Æ23 - Marcus Aurelius ΤΙΑΝΩΝ

Tium was a minor Bithynian coastal city whose civic coinage under the Antonines was issued in tight windows, typically tied to imperial accession or provincial governor activity rather than continuous production. This piece dates to the opening year of Marcus Aurelius's sole reign following the death of Antoninus Pius in March 161 — a moment when cities across the Greek east rushed out bronze issues acknowledging the new emperor, partly as a gesture of loyalty and partly to refresh circulating small denomination stock.

The ethnic ΤΙΑΝΩΝ identifies the issuing authority as the citizens of Tium specifically, a civic formula the city used consistently to assert its autonomous minting identity within the broader Bithynian provincial structure.