Catalog
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| Issuer | Nicaea (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 249-251 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 9.46 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Zeus enthroned to the left, depicted as a mature, bearded deity seated upon an ornate throne with footstool visible beneath. In his extended right hand he holds a patera, while his left hand grasps a long vertical sceptre. The god is rendered in the classical Pheidian tradition. The ethnic legend ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ is distributed around the field, identifying the issuing city of Nicaea in Bithynia. |
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| Mintage | ND (249-251) |
| Additional information |
Nicaea was among the most prolific civic mints of the Roman east under Trajan Decius, issuing a dense range of bronzes during his short, crisis-ridden reign. Decius came to power after the murder of Philip the Arab, and died at Abritus in 251 fighting the Goths — one of the first emperors killed in battle by a foreign enemy. His reign also saw the first systematic empire-wide persecution of Christians, driven by his edict requiring all citizens to sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Civic bronzes from Nicaea under Decius show considerable die variety across the series catalogued in volume IX.