Catalog
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!
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 198-217 |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟϹ ΑΥΓΟΥϹΤΟϹ (Translation: Antoninus Augustus) |
| Reverse description | Athena or Roma stands facing, her head turned to the left, rendered in the classical provincial style. In her extended right hand she holds a patera, while her left arm rests upon a large round shield set at her side, with a spear also supported in her left hand. The figure is draped in a long peplos with helmet, conveying divine martial authority. The surrounding Greek legend ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ proclaims the twice-neocorate status of the city of Nicomedia, affirming its honour as guardian of the imperial cult. |
| 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's neokorate titles were hard-won civic honors granted by Rome, allowing a city to maintain an imperial cult temple — and the right to advertise that status on coinage was taken seriously. The legend ΔΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ, proclaiming a double neokorate, dates Nicomedia's second such honor to the Severan period, most likely formalized under Septimius Severus before Caracalla's sole reign began.
Nicomedia was the dominant city of Bithynia and fiercely competitive with Nicaea over civic rank, a rivalry that played out as much through coin legends as through imperial petitions.