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Æ24 - Valerian and Gallienus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ ΙΕΡΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ
| Issuer | Nicaea (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.37 g |
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| Reverse description | Tyche, personification of Fortune, seated to the left upon a throne, wearing a stephane or prize crown upon her head as befitting the agonistic theme of the issue. She holds a ship's rudder in her right hand and a cornucopia in her left, with a prize crown placed atop it, alluding to the sacred games of Nicaea. An additional prize crown is depicted to the left of the figure in the field. The reverse legend ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ ΙΕΡΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ encircles the type, identifying these as the sacred contests of the Nicaeans. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ ΙΕΡΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ (Translation: of the Nicaeans, sacred contests) |
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| Additional information |
Nicaea held the rare distinction of being recognized as a site of *hieroi agones* — sacred games granted official Panhellenic status by Rome — and coins advertising this privilege were issued specifically to assert the city's prestige within the competitive hierarchy of Asian civic honors. The joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus, which ended abruptly when Valerian was captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260, places a hard terminus on this issue. A Roman emperor taken alive by a Persian king was without precedent, and civic minting across the eastern provinces shifted considerably in the political chaos that followed.