Æ26 - Philip I ΠΕΡΓΑΙΑϹ ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΟϹ, ΑϹΥΛΟΥ

Perge's claim to the title ΑϹΥΛΟΥ — "of asylum" — was not decorative. The sanctuary of Artemis Pergaia carried formal inviolability, meaning fugitives who reached it could not be forcibly removed. Cities competed fiercely for such designations under Roman rule, as asylum status brought prestige, pilgrimage traffic, and leverage in provincial politics. Philip I's reign provided a window in which Perge pressed these civic privileges hard in bronze.