Architectural coins the province of Bithynia-Pontus during the Roman İmperial Period

The Ancient Bithynia Region was an independent kingdom in the northwest of Anatolia in the Hellenistic Period, but later became a province of the Roman Empire in 74 BC. After the arrangements made by General Pompeius in this region in 63 BC, western Pontus was annexed to the Province of Bithynia and thus a new province was formed under the name of "Provincia Bithynia et Pontus".In the Province of Bithynia-Pontus, reconstruction activities started after the Roman domination and in this context, many civil, military and religious buildings such as temples, theaters, amphitheaters, light towers, bridges, port structures, city walls and fortification gates were built. These structures, which reflect the architectural texture of the cities, are depicted on the reverse types of many coins minted in the name of the cities of Bithynia. Ancient Coins, which have been a symbol of independence throughout history, as well as their economic value as a means of payment, have been the pioneer of political propaganda as a means of communication between central Rome and the Province of Bithynia with their architectural types. According to the coins with architectural depictions, the temples were dedicated to gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Dionysus, Demeter, Asklepius, Apollon, Serapis, Heracles, Nemesis and Fortuna, who were respected in the cities of Bithynia. The locations of many temples depicted on coins are unknown. In this regard, comparisons were made with similar city plans and it was taken into account that many pagan temples were converted into churches during the Christian era. Accordingly, Various temples are thought to be localized in or around the foundations of existing churches. In addition, it was concluded that monumental structures such as the theatre, amphitheater and gymnasium in the architectural coin descriptions were built for the agons organized in honor of the Roman emperors within the scope of the imperial cult established after the 1st century AD. In this dissertation, in the light of historical documents and ancient historians, the building program of the cities in the Province of Bithynia was examined based on the coins with architectural descriptions minted in the Roman Imperial Period.