Æ29 - Philip I ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ Κ ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ

The homonoia coinage between Hierapolis in Phrygia and Ephesus reflects a deliberate civic diplomacy — these alliance issues were minted to mark formal bonds between cities, often negotiated around shared festival rights, trade arrangements, or mutual appeals to the imperial court. Under Philip I, such inter-city relationships carried practical weight: Hierapolis was seeking to consolidate its religious and commercial standing along the Lycus valley routes, and association with Ephesus, the dominant metropolis of Asia, was a meaningful credential. The Ephesian neokorate title cited in the legend anchors the issue to a very specific moment in that city's imperial cult hierarchy.