Æ27 - Valerian and Gallienus ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Ephesus held the title of neokoros — temple warden — three times by the Severan period, and its civic coinage consistently advertised this status as a point of fierce municipal pride in the competitive hierarchy of Asian cities. The joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus, 253–260, was marked almost immediately by catastrophic pressure on the eastern frontier: Shapur I's Sasanian campaigns ultimately captured Valerian himself at Edessa around 260, the only Roman emperor taken prisoner in battle. Provincial bronze production at Ephesus continued through these years largely undisturbed, the city's commercial importance insulating it from the worst disruptions.