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BITHYNIA

Bithynia is an ancient region strategically located in a key position in northwestern Anatolia, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Geographically, it roughly covers parts of today's Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu, Bilecik, and Bursa provinces. The region takes its name from the Bithyn and Thyn tribes who migrated from Thrace and settled here starting in the 7th century BCE.

Initially a Persian satrapy, Bithynia transformed into an independent kingdom under the rule of its local kings (the Nicomedes Dynasty) after Alexander the Great (297 BCE). The region's greatest strategic importance lay in its control over the Bosphorus and the Black Sea trade routes. Its most important cities were Nicomedia (İzmit) and Nicaea (İznik).

Mints of Bithynia

Bithynia, particularly during the Hellenistic kingdom period (Nicomedes Dynasty) and subsequently as a Roman province, carried out numerous and diverse coinages. Coin production was concentrated in the kingdom's capital and commercially vibrant port cities.

Important Mints:

  • Nicomedia (İzmit): The capital of the kingdom and the most productive mint during the Roman Imperial period.

  • Nicaea (İznik): The second largest city and an important center for coin production.

  • Cius (Gemlik): An ancient Hellenic city on the coast of Marmara.

  • Prusias ad Hypium (Düzce/Konuralp): An important center in the interior.

 

The Nicomedes Kings and the Numismatics of Trade

Bithynian coinage exhibits a consistent style reflecting the kingdom's commercial identity and the integration of local rulers into the Hellenistic world.

  • Portraits of the Nicomedes Dynasty: During the kingdom period (especially Nicomedes I and Nicomedes IV), the obverse of coins features portraits of crowned kings, in keeping with Hellenistic tradition. These portraits are considered among the finest examples of Hellenistic art of the period and emphasize the kings' power and divine qualities.

  • Principal Deity: Zeus Soter: The most frequently encountered figure on the reverse of coins is usually Zeus Soter ("Zeus the Savior"), standing and holding a laurel wreath. This motif symbolizes the kings' divine protection and their role as saviors of their people.

  • Local Symbols: Some coins feature figures related to Bithynia's local cults and legends. For example, coins from Nicaea may show mythological figures associated with the city's foundation or deities like Dionysus (viticulture was important for the region).

  • Roman Period: After its annexation by Rome in 74 BCE, Bithynia became one of the most important provinces of the Roman Empire. During this period, numerous bronze coins bearing portraits of Roman Emperors, alongside local gods and myths, were struck at the mints of Nicomedia and Nicaea. Nicomedia continued to function as an important imperial mint even during the Late Roman Imperial period (especially during the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine).