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| Issuer | Cyzicus (Conventus of Cyzicus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 260-268 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Gallienus facing left, seen from the front, with the right arm raised and a shield carried on the left arm. The imperial effigy is rendered in the provincial Greek tradition, with the legend disposed in the surrounding field. The obverse legend in Greek identifies the emperor by his full titulature. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Cyzicus held the rare distinction of being a twice-neokorate city — the "ΔΙϹ ΝΕΟΚΟ" in the legend is not decorative but a formal civic claim, meaning the city had twice been granted the honor of hosting an imperial cult temple. That status was fought for, negotiated with Rome, and worn as a mark of prestige on local bronze coinage precisely because it set Cyzicus apart from rival cities in the Conventus.
Gallienus's sole reign began after his father Valerian was captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 — the first Roman emperor taken prisoner by a foreign enemy. Provincial mints across Asia Minor continued striking civic bronzes throughout this period largely uninterrupted, the eastern provinces remaining administratively stable even as the western empire fractured.