Æ24 - Gordian III ϹΜΥΡ Γ ΝΕ ΕΠ ΜΕΝΕΚΛΕΟΥϹ

Smyrna was among the most competitive cities in the Greek East when it came to securing the title of neokoros — official temple-warden of the imperial cult — and this coin documents a moment in that civic rivalry. The magistrate name ΜΕΝΕΚΛΕΟΥϹ places administrative responsibility on a named local official, a practice that gave Smyrna's elite families a form of permanent record in bronze. By Gordian III's reign the city held multiple neokorate honours, accumulated across successive imperial grants, and the designation ΝΕ in the legend reflects that carefully tracked tally.