Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ25 - Marcus Aurelius ΜΗΤ ΝΕΩ ΝΕΙΚοΜΗΔ
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 161-180 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 25 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Laureate, cuirassed and paludamentum-draped bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius facing right, depicted in the Roman imperial tradition with characteristic beard. The Greek imperial titulature encircles the bust as a peripheral legend in the field. The portraiture reflects the provincial die-cutting style of the Bithynian mint at Nicomedia, with bold if somewhat stylised relief. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Nicomedia was among the most politically assertive cities in Bithynia, and its coinage under Marcus Aurelius reflects that ambition directly. The city held the title of metropolis and pressed it aggressively against rival Nicaea throughout the second century, a competition that played out partly on civic bronze — the title abbreviations struck into the legends were not ceremonial flourishes but live municipal politics, each issue a small act of jurisdictional assertion toward Rome and neighboring cities alike.
The ΜΗΤ ΝΕΩ in the legend references Nicomedia's status as neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — a designation granted by the Senate and fiercely contested.