17.04.
2023 00:43 Bithynian coinage - Wikipedia
Bithynian coinage
Bithynian coinage refers to coinage struck by the Kingdom
of Bithynia that was situated on the coast of the Black Sea.
Extent of monetization
Asia Minor is known for having kingdoms that issued
abundant coinage during some points in their history. After
Pergamon under the Attalid dynasty expanded, smaller
kingdoms exploited the political situation and increased their
power in the region. Bithynia, Cappadocia and Pontus are well-
known and studied for their abundant coinage at certain times.
Bithynian kingdom incorporated the most monetized areas
under its domain when compared to the other two kingdoms. Tetradrachm of Nicomedes II
Bithynian rulers struck long and continuous series of silver and
bronze coinage. Elsewhere, Cappadocians are primarily known
for their military issues of coins, and the less monetized Pontic region primarily struck bronze
coinage.[1]
The purpose of the first royal Bithynian and Cappadocian bronze coinage is still unknown.[1]
History
The first king was Zipoetes I c. 298 BC – c. 279 BC. It is thought that there were no coinage struck
during his reign.[2]
The first Bithynian king to strike coins was Nicomedes I (c. 280 BC – c. 250 BC). He is primarily
known for bringing the Gauls known as Galatians to the Asia Minor in 277 BC to fight against his
brother and Antiochus I. This short-sighted mistake brought troubles for local Greeks for a
century. In early 260s BC, possibly in 264 BC according to Eusebius, he moved the capital to
Nicomedia on the Propontis. There was a mint in the new capital. Silver tetradrachms and
drachms of the Attic weight are known. Nicomedes I is known to have struck some bronze coinage
too.[3] Both Bithynian and Cappadocian coinages were started with minor series of bronze coins.[1]
Successor of Nicomedes I was Ziaelas (c. 250 BC – 230 BC). He is known for having minted bronze
coinage. However, only a few specimen have survived.[3]
Reign of Prusias I (c. 232 BC – 182 BC) saw birth of a more regular silver and bronze coinage for
the kingdom.[3] The first large issues of coins can be thus attributed to him.[1] Bronze coinage of
Prusias I and Prusias II have not been differentiated in the most common catalogues. However,
those related to Ziaelas can be attributed to Prusias I.[3]
Nicomedes II is notable for having struck the first gold staters in the kingdom's history. Those
coins had his portrait on their obverse, and a galloping horseman on the reverse.[4] He also
introduced the year number of the Bithynian era on his coins, replacing the Seleucid era.[5]
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Both Nicomedes III and Nicomedes IV struck similar tetradrachms as their predecessor
Nicomedes II.[2]
End of the kingdom
On the death of king Nicomedes IV in 74 BC the kingdom was
bequeathed to the Roman Empire, and subsequently
reconstituted as a Roman province. It was later part of the
province of the Bithynia and Pontus. Roman administration
saw introduction of a new provincial currency, and Bithynian
polity's capital was moved back to Nicomedia.[2][6]
Roman provincial coin of Antoninus
Pius During Roman rule the provincial cities that, in the combined
province of Bithynia and Pontus, issued coinage reached 29
cities during the second century AD. Some of these cities on
the Bithynian region included Apamea Myrlea, Bithynium, Nicaea, Nicomedia and Tium.[6]
See also
List of rulers of Bithynia
Pontic coinage
References
Money portal
Numismatics
portal
1. William E. Metcalf (5 January 2016). The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=trkUDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA185). Oxford University Press.
p. 185. ISBN 978-0-19-937218-8.
2. "Ancient coinage of Bithynia" (http://snible.org/coins/hn/bithynia.html). snible.org. Retrieved
2018-02-09.
3. Otto Mørkholm (31 May 1991). Early Hellenistic Coinage from the Accession of Alexander to
the Peace of Apamaea (336–188 BC) (https://books.google.com/books?id=U_5Ez0kAOuIC&p
g=PA130). Cambridge University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-521-39504-5.
4. Per Bilde (1996). Aspects of Hellenistic Kingship (https://books.google.com/books?id=EDgMA
QAAMAAJ). Aarhus University Press. ISBN 978-87-7288-474-5.
5. Jakob Munk Højte, "From Kingdom to Province: Reshaping Pontos after the Fall of Mithridates
VI", in Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen (ed.), Rome and the Black Sea Region: Domination,
Romanisation, Resistance (Aarhus University Press, 2006), 15–30.
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17.04.2023 00:43 Bithynian coinage - Wikipedia
6. Wayne G. Sayles (June 1998). Ancient Coin Collecting IV: Roman Provincial Coins (https://boo
ks.google.com/books?id=SCt_8PoQT7MC&pg=PA46). F+W Media, Inc. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-
87341-552-3.
Further reading
Andrew Burnett; Michel Amandry; Ian Carradice (1999). Roman provincial coinage: From
Vespasian to Domitian: (AD 69-96) (https://books.google.com/books?id=tlRmAAAAMAAJ).
British Museum Press. pp. 92–95. ISBN 978-0-7141-0898-8.
External links
"Ancient Coinage of Bithynia, Nicaea" (http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bithynia/nicaea/
i.html). wildwinds.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
"Ancient Coinage of Bithynia, Nicomedia" (http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bithynia/nic
omedia/i.html)
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