Æ23 - Philip I ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ Κ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ

This coin documents an alliance coinage — a homonoia issue — struck between Hierapolis in Phrygia and Smyrna, one of the most prominent cities of the Ionian coast. Such joint issues were not casual gestures; they typically marked formal civic agreements, trade relationships, or shared religious obligations, often negotiated at the level of the provincial assembly. Smyrna held the neokorate, the coveted title of temple-warden for the imperial cult, multiple times, and Hierapolis leveraged that prestige by including it prominently in the coin's legend.

Philip I's reign coincided with Rome's millennial celebrations of 248 AD, a moment when provincial cities competed aggressively for imperial favor through exactly these kinds of honorific civic displays.