Æ29 - Caracalla ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Nicomedia's claim to the title ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ — "twice temple warden" — was fiercely contested among the cities of Bithynia. The designation, awarded by Rome and inscribed on civic coinage as a mark of imperial favor, reflected a city's right to maintain a temple of the imperial cult. Nicomedia held the distinction twice over, a status it advertised aggressively against its longtime rival Nicaea, and the rivalry between the two cities for precedence played out partly through exactly this kind of provincial bronze issue.