Æ28 - Macrinus ΝΕΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΩΝ ΔΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Nicomedia had held neokoros status — the honor of maintaining an imperial cult temple — since the reign of Augustus, and by the time Macrinus took power after assassinating Caracalla in 217 AD, the city had accumulated the title twice, hence the ΔΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ designation. That double neokorate was a matter of fierce civic pride and active political lobbying; cities across Bithynia competed aggressively for such honors, which translated directly into prestige, pilgrimage revenue, and favorable treatment from Rome. Macrinus reigned barely fourteen months before his defeat at Antioch.