Æ26 - Caracalla Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ, ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ

Smyrna received its third neokorate — the honor commemorated by the Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ legend — under Caracalla, whose reign saw an unusually aggressive campaign by Asian cities to accumulate imperial cult titles. The grant required direct petition to Rome and a substantial financial outlay, making coins advertising the honor as much civic propaganda as circulating currency. Smyrna had long positioned itself as a rival to Ephesus and Pergamon for primacy in the province, and each neokorate title was a point scored in that competition.