KING OF BITNIA 1st NICOMEDES (280-250 BC)

He was the oldest son of Zipoites I, the second King of Bithynia, to the throne in 278 BC. He started his own reign after killing his two brothers. However, later II. His third brother, known as the Zipoites, led a revolt against him and for a time maintained his own independent power in much of Bithynia.

While his brother's rebellion continued, Antiochus I, ruler of the Seleucid dynasty, Antiochus I, was threatened by the armies of Soter, and the ruler had already fought a war with his father, Zipoites I.

In order to meet this danger, Nicomedes first made an alliance with the city of Heraclea Pontica (now Black Sea Ereğli) and then against the Seleucids with Antigonus II Gonatas from the Antigonus Dynasty who ruled in Macedonia.

But this danger was passed on to Bithynia without much damage. The Seleucid army entered Bithynia without any battle and seized all Bithynia lands, but could not hold on and had to retreat.

After this danger was over, Nicomedes began preparing to confront his brother Zipoetes, who ruled in important parts of the country. The kingdom developed a mercenary army of Greek warriors.

Meanwhile, under the tribal leaders Leonnorius and Lutarius, the Celts descended from Thrace and besieged the city of Byzantium, which was in Bithynia in 277 BC. Nicomedes allied with these Celtic tribes and included their soldiers in the army he had set up.

With this army, his brother II. Zipoetes walked over. He won the battle and had his rival brother caught and executed, and he began to reign in all regions of Bithynia.

We do not have any detailed documents regarding his future life. However, he is known to fight the Celts, but there is no information about why, when it started and how it developed, and how it ended. Some historians agree that he lived peacefully in Bithynia until his death in 255 BC.

It is known that he was married twice. He had two sons (Prusias and Ziaelas) and a daughter from his first wife, Phrygian Ditizele. With the encouragement of his second wife, Bitinyali Etazeta, he gave his guardianship to replace his son, who was his wife when he died. Since his son was young, he had chosen the Macedonian ruler "Antigonus Gonatas" and the Egyptian ruler Ptolemy II as regents, and to secure their support, he entrusted the upper-sovereign rights of the free cities Heraclea, Byzantium and Cius to these states.

However, after Nicomedes I died, his son Ziaelas, from his first wife, took the Bithynia throne.

It is reported that Nikomedes is very enthusiastic about art and architecture.

It is written that he offered to buy Aphrodite of Knidos, which was made by the famous ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles for the city of Knidos, in return for paying all public debts of the city of Knidos.

The most important work left by Nicomedes was, like his father and other Hellenistic rulers, he established a new city and settled colonists for its development.

For the location of this new city, he chose a land near a seaside city founded by the former Megara colonists. The new city was named Nicomedia (now Izmit) in its name.

This city became the capital of the Roman Empire for a short time; It was found among the rich and developed cities of Anatolia in six centuries, and today it maintains this important status as the city of Izmit.

Bronze coins of King Nicomedes I, a copper-tin alloy, are extremely rare.

Bronze coin minted during the king's maturity

FRONT FACE: Maturity portrait of nicomede wearing royal diadem, facing right.

BACK FACE: Thracian Artemisi Bendis (?) Can be seen sitting on a rock in the middle.

He is holding two spears or javelins in his right hand and there is a shield in front under the rock on which he sits. There is the inscription ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ NIKOMHDOY (Kingdom of Nicomedes) on the right and left.

Nike, the Goddess of Victory, depicted in the middle of the far left in the previous tetradrachm class coins, is not included in this coin. Most likely, this depiction must have been engraved to commemorate a victory at the time of minting of previous coins.