Æ23 - Philip I ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ

Hierapolis in Phrygia — not to be confused with the better-known Syrian city of the same name — sat within the conventus of Cibyra and issued bronze coinage under Philip I during a period when provincial civic mints were under quiet but increasing pressure from Rome's deteriorating central finances. Philip, the first Arab emperor, came to power after engineering or at least facilitating the death of Gordian III on campaign in Mesopotamia, and his five-year reign saw a surge in provincial honorific issues as cities competed for imperial favor.