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| Issuer | Koinon of Bithynia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
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| Year | 117-138 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of the emperor Hadrian facing right, depicted from behind, with the paludamentum fastened at the right shoulder. The circular Greek legend runs along the periphery of the flan, identifying the emperor by his full imperial titulature. The portrait exhibits the characteristic Hadrianic style with a bearded effigy, though the precise rendering of facial features is partially obscured by surface wear. The flan is slightly irregular in shape, consistent with hand-struck provincial bronze coinage of the period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Koinon of Bithynia was the provincial assembly (koina) of Greek cities in the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus, authorized to strike bronze coinage primarily for use in religious festivals and imperial cult ceremonies honoring the emperor. Hadrian had a particular relationship with the region — his beloved Antinous drowned in the Nile in 130 AD, and the city of Nicomedia, Bithynia's administrative center, was among the first to establish a cult in the youth's honor.
Provincial bronzes of this koina are frequently found with significant die-axis rotation, a byproduct of decentralized striking arrangements across multiple city mints sharing obverse dies.