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Æ - Nicomedes I or Nicomedes II Nikaia
| Issuer | Kings of Bithynia |
|---|---|
| Year | 280 BC - 250 BC |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Eagle standing left with wings spread, depicted in a dynamic pose with talons extended and head turned. Above the eagle, a partial Greek royal legend reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕ ΝΙΚΟΜΗ, identifying the issuing king Nicomedes. Below the eagle, the ethnic legend ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ (partially legible as ΝΙΚΟΜΗ on this specimen) identifies the mint city of Nikaia. The composition is bold and centrally placed within the plain field. |
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| Additional information |
Nikaia — modern İznik — served as a royal mint for the Bithynian kingdom through much of the third century BC, a period when the dynasty was actively consolidating power against both Seleucid pressure from the east and Galatian raiding from the north. The attribution to either Nicomedes I or his successor reflects a genuine scholarly impasse: the SNG Black Sea range spans both reigns, and without a royal name inscribed, die-link studies remain the only practical path to a tighter attribution.
Nicomedes I famously invited the Galatians into Anatolia around 278 BC as mercenary allies — a decision that reshaped the region's political geography for generations.