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Æ25 - Marcus Aurelius ΜΗΤ ΝΕ ΝΙΚοΜ
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 161-180 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Nike, the goddess of victory, advancing to the right in flowing drapery, holding a wreath aloft in her right hand and a palm-branch in her left. At her feet to the right, a ship's prow is depicted facing right, symbolizing naval victory or maritime prominence of Nicomedia. The civic legend appears in the field surrounding the figure. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Nicomedia held a privileged position among Bithynian cities — it was the provincial capital and had been the seat of Diocletian's eastern court, though that came later. Under Marcus Aurelius, the city's civic bronze issues reflect a period of intense imperial pressure: the Parthian War of the 160s strained Roman finances badly enough that gold and silver coinage was debased, pushing economic weight onto provincial bronze for everyday transactions. The abbreviation ΜΗΤ ΝΕ on the civic legend signals Nicomedia's honorific status as metropolis and neokoros, titles fiercely competed for among Bithynian cities during precisely this reign.