Æ22 - Philip I ΛΑΟΔΙΚΕΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Laodicea ad Lycum held the title of neokoros — warden of an imperial cult temple — a distinction that cities competed for fiercely and that Philip I, the first emperor of Arab descent, had political reasons to distribute generously during his short reign. The title's appearance in the coin's legend is the civic boast, not an afterthought.