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Tetradrachm - Nikomedes I
| Issuer | Kings of Bithynia |
|---|---|
| Year | 280 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | A warrior goddess, tentatively identified as Bendis, seated to left upon a rocky boulder, attired in a short military tunic. She raises her right hand aloft clasping two upright spears, while her left hand holds a sword in its scabbard. A richly decorated shield leans against the boulder beneath her left arm, and a dead tree branch rises behind her. In the inner left field, the monogram ΙΔ appears, and at the far left, Nike strides to the left, extending a wreath. The Greek royal legend flanks the central design. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΟΥ ΙΔ |
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| Additional information |
Nikomedes I founded Nikomedia around 264 BC specifically to serve as his new capital, a strategic move that simultaneously weakened his rival Zipoetes II and consolidated his hold over western Bithynia. His reign is also notable for the catastrophic decision — from a Greek perspective — of inviting the Galatians across the Bosporus into Anatolia around 278 BC, a mercenary gambit that destabilized Asia Minor for generations. These tetradrachms follow the Attic weight standard, positioning Bithynia commercially within the broader Hellenistic world despite its historically Thracian dynastic roots.