Æ24 - Elagabalus ϹΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Sardis held the title of neokoros — official keeper of an imperial cult temple — three times over, a distinction fiercely competed for among the great cities of Asia Minor and granted only by vote of the Roman senate. The gamma (Γ) marking on this issue explicitly advertises that third grant, awarded under Elagabalus, whose short and chaotic reign nevertheless proved productive for civic honorifics as cities lobbied an emperor easily flattered by ceremonial attention.