Æ30 - Caracalla ΕΠΙ ΑΝ ΡΟΥΦΟΥ ΑΡΧ Α ΤΟ Γ, ΚΟΙΝΟϹ ΑϹΙΑϹ ϹΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ Β ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Sardis held the neokorate — the right to maintain an imperial cult temple — twice by Caracalla's reign, a status fiercely competed for among Asian cities and confirmed only by senatorial decree in Rome. The inscription naming the archon Rufus dates this issue to a specific magistracy term, making it useful for pinning civic chronology even where literary sources are silent. The provincial koinon of Asia used coinage like this partly to advertise a city's cultic rank to neighboring rivals.