Æ26 - Nero ΑΟΥΙΟΛΑ ΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΩ ΑΙΧΜΟΚΛΗΣ, ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ, ΕΦΕ

This issue dates to the proconsulship of Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus's successor in Asia — the Aviola named in the legend is almost certainly Acilius Aviola, proconsul of Asia under Nero in 65–66 AD. Ephesus had held the title of neokoros, temple warden, and the coin's assertion of that status was not ceremonial vanity but a live political claim, contested between cities across the province. The right to call oneself neokoros carried genuine fiscal and juridical privileges, and Ephesus spent considerable effort advertising it on bronze coinage precisely because rival cities disputed it.