Æ35 - Hadrian ΚΥΖΙΚΗΝΩΝ

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.