Cyzicus held the title *neokoros* — temple warden of the imperial cult — and its coins frequently broadcast that status as civic propaganda directed at Rome as much as at local audiences. The title appears here in the plural, *ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ*, reflecting the city's claim to multiple neocorate honors accumulated across successive imperial grants.
Under Septimius Severus, Cyzicus backed the right horse early in the civil wars of 193 AD, unlike rival Pescennius Niger's strongholds in the east. That loyalty paid dividends in imperial favor throughout the Severan period.
Cyzicus held the title *neokoros* — temple warden of the imperial cult — and its coins frequently broadcast that status as civic propaganda directed at Rome as much as at local audiences. The title appears here in the plural, *ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ*, reflecting the city's claim to multiple neocorate honors accumulated across successive imperial grants.
Under Septimius Severus, Cyzicus backed the right horse early in the civil wars of 193 AD, unlike rival Pescennius Niger's strongholds in the east. That loyalty paid dividends in imperial favor throughout the Severan period.