Æ25 - Elagabalus ϹΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ Β ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Sardis held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — twice by the time Elagabalus came to power, a distinction hard-won through civic competition and imperial favor rather than automatically granted. The Β ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ legend advertises exactly that dual status, which Sardis had secured under the Severan dynasty. Elagabalus, whose reign was consumed by religious controversy surrounding his promotion of the sun god Elagabal above the Roman pantheon, still required the loyalty of eastern mints to legitimize his rule.