Cyzicus held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times over, and this issue almost certainly reflects that civic pride during Maximinus Thrax's reign. Maximinus never visited the eastern provinces; his entire rule was consumed by Rhine and Danube campaigns. Cities like Cyzicus continued striking bronze civic coinage under their own authority, partly as a practical necessity for local exchange and partly as a vehicle for advertising titles the emperor himself would never see.
Cyzicus held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times over, and this issue almost certainly reflects that civic pride during Maximinus Thrax's reign. Maximinus never visited the eastern provinces; his entire rule was consumed by Rhine and Danube campaigns. Cities like Cyzicus continued striking bronze civic coinage under their own authority, partly as a practical necessity for local exchange and partly as a vehicle for advertising titles the emperor himself would never see.