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Æ28 - Domitian Η ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΩΤΗ ΒΙΘΥΝΙ (Σ)
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 81-96 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10.41 g |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of the emperor Domitian facing right, rendered in the provincial Greek style typical of Bithynian civic coinage. The portrait displays characteristic Flavian physiognomy with a prominent brow and short neck. The encircling Greek legend identifies the emperor by his full imperial titulature. The flan is irregular, as is common for provincially struck bronze issues of this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Nicomedia's insistence on advertising its status as "metropolis and first city of Bithynia" was not mere civic vanity — it reflected a genuine and bitterly contested rivalry with Nicaea, which claimed equal standing throughout the imperial period. The dispute was live enough that both cities lobbied emperors directly, and Domitian's reign saw Nicomedia pressing its case aggressively through every available medium, including its bronze coinage.
The honorific formula in the legend is the civic flex that dates this particular iteration of the claim.