Æ24 - Marcus Aurelius ΚΑΛΧΑΔοΝΙΩΝ

Calchedon sat at the narrowest crossing between Europe and Asia on the Bosphorus, a position that made it strategically indispensable and perpetually contested. The city had a long-standing reputation among ancient writers — Strabo called it "the city of the blind," repeating the old tradition that its founders had foolishly chosen the Asian shore while the far superior site of Byzantium lay directly opposite. Under Marcus Aurelius, Calchedon's civic bronze issues reflect a municipality functioning with considerable autonomy, issuing local coinage while the emperor was almost continuously on campaign along the Danube frontier.