Æ16 - Antoninus Pius ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ

Smyrna was among the most politically aggressive cities in Roman Asia Minor when it came to securing imperial favor, and Antoninus Pius rewarded that loyalty. The city held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — and coins of this reign from Smyrna formed part of a sustained civic program of flattery toward an emperor who rarely needed flattering. Antoninus ruled for over two decades without leaving Italy, yet the eastern mints never stopped producing his image.