Æ25 - Commodus ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ ΝΕΟ (Ο)

Cyzicus held the coveted neokorate title — the right to maintain an imperial cult temple — and coins asserting this status were explicit civic propaganda, advertising the city's privileged relationship with Rome to visiting merchants and officials. The designation ΝΕΟΚΟΡΟΣ (or its abbreviated form) was not automatic; it required direct imperial grant and could be contested or revoked, making its appearance on local bronze an active political statement rather than mere tradition.

The specific bracket of 184–190 places this issue during Commodus's increasingly erratic reign, when provincial loyalty declarations carried real weight.