Editing Nicomedia (section)

==Infrastructure==
[[File:Parti in bronzo di un carro romano, forse di uso trionfale, dalle rovine di una casa nicomedia in bitinia, III-IV secolo dc. 02.jpg|thumb|Parts of a 2nd or 3rd-century bronze Roman chariot from Nicomedia, now in the [[National Archaeological Museum, Athens|National Archaeological Museum]] of [[Greece]].]]

During the Empire, Nicomedia was a cosmopolitan and commercially prosperous city which received all the amenities appropriate for a major Roman city. Nicomedia was well known for having a bountiful water supply from two to three aqueducts,<ref>{{cite book|title=Oratories| author=Libanius| page=61.7.18}}</ref> one of which was built in [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] times. Pliny the Younger complains in his ''[[Epistulae (Pliny)|Epistulae]]'' to [[Trajan]], written in 110 AD, that the Nicomedians wasted 3,318,000 [[sesterces]] on an unfinished aqueduct which twice ran into engineering troubles. Trajan instructs him to take steps to complete the aqueduct, and to investigate possible official corruption behind the large waste of money.<ref>{{cite book| title=Epistulae| author=Pliny the Younger| page=10.37 & .38}}</ref> Under Trajan, there was also a large Roman garrison.<ref>{{cite book| title=Epistles| author=Pliny the Younger| page=10.74}}</ref> Other public amenities included a theatre, a colonnaded street typical of Hellenistic cities and a forum.<ref>{{cite book| title=Epistles| author=Pliny the Younger| page=10.49}}</ref>

The major religious shrine was a temple of [[Demeter]], which stood in a sacred precinct on a hill above the harbor.<ref name="W.L. MacDonald 1976"/> The city adopted official cults of Rome avidly, there were temples dedicated to the Emperor [[Commodus]],<ref>{{cite book| title=Roman History| author=Dio Cassius| page=73.12.2}}</ref> a sacred precinct of the city dedicated to [[Augustus]],<ref>{{cite book| title=Roman History| author=Cassius Dio| page=51.20.7}}</ref> and a temple of [[Roma (mythology)|Roma]] dedicated during the late-Republic.<ref name="W.L. MacDonald 1976"/>

The city was sacked in AD 253 by the [[Goths]], but when Diocletian made the city his capital in 283 AD he undertook grand restorations and built an enormous palace, an armory, mint, and new shipyards.<ref name="W.L. MacDonald 1976"/>