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Æ28 - Gallienus (sole reign) (ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΟΚΟΡ)
| Issuer | Cyzicus (Conventus of Cyzicus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 260-268 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Gallienus facing left, depicted from the front, bearing a spear over the right shoulder and a shield on the left arm. The imperial effigy is rendered in the provincial Greek style typical of mid-third-century Asia Minor coinage. The obverse legend in Greek capital letters encircles the bust, naming the emperor with his full titulature. |
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| Reverse description | A monumental temple or cult building is depicted in elevation, its central doorway clearly articulated; atop the structure stand three statues of Demeter, each carrying a torch. Flanking the building on either side rises a tall flaming torch entwined by a serpent, emblematic of mystery cult associations. The composition reflects the neocorate status of Cyzicus and its connection to the imperial cult and the Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter. The reverse legend in Greek encircling the design proclaims the twice-neocorate honor of the Cyzicenes. |
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Cyzicus held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times over, and the ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΟΚΟΡ legend on this issue explicitly advertises that double grant. The city's second neokorate was awarded under Hadrian, cementing Cyzicus as one of the most politically connected civic minting authorities in the Conventus. These grants weren't ceremonial; they brought real revenue through pilgrimage, festivals, and the prestige that attracted Roman patronage.
Gallienus's sole reign followed his father Valerian's capture by Shapur I in 260 — a humiliation with no precedent in Roman history. Provincial bronze continued under civic authority largely because the central government had more pressing problems than mint oversight.