Æ27 - Septimius Severus ΠΡΟΥϹΙΕΩΝ ΠΡΟϹ ΥΠΙΩ

Prusias ad Hypium — modern Konuralp in northwest Turkey — was a Bithynian city that minted under Septimius Severus during a reign defined by civil war and the violent elimination of rival claimants Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus. Provincial bronze issues like this one filled a genuine gap: Roman imperial coinage in silver and gold rarely penetrated local markets at sufficient volume, and civic mints in Bithynia operated with considerable autonomy in both timing and output. The city's Greek name in the legend reflects the still-dominant Hellenistic administrative culture of the region centuries after Roman annexation.