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Æ35 - Hadrian ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ
| Issuer | Cyzicus (Conventus of Cyzicus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 129-138 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 27.44 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The goddess Demeter advances to the right, depicted in full figure wearing a flowing chiton and himation, her drapery rendered with fine linear detail. She holds a long lit torch in each hand, the flames indicated at the torch heads, referencing her eternal search for Persephone. The reverse legend ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ, identifying the civic authority of the mint city, is inscribed in the field, with a beaded border encircling the entire design. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian visited Cyzicus in 124 AD and personally oversaw the completion of a vast temple to Zeus Olympios that had been under construction for centuries — a project so grand it reportedly rivaled the Olympieion in Athens. The city's gratitude was not merely ceremonial; Cyzicus was elevated in status and became a key center of the imperial cult in Asia Minor. Coins struck in the years following his visit reflect this privileged relationship between city and emperor.
Cyzicus sat on the Propontis and controlled critical sea lanes into the Black Sea, giving it outsized political weight relative to other provincial mints of the conventus.