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Æ30 - Elagabalus ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΠΥΘΙΑ
| Issuer | City of Hierapolis (Conventus of Cibyra) |
|---|---|
| Year | 218-222 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed, cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander as Caesar facing right, depicted from the rear in the characteristic Severan three-quarter back view. The legend Μ ΑΥΡ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ ΚΑΙϹ is disposed around the periphery of the flan in Greek script. The portrait displays the youthful features typical of Severus Alexander's pre-accession coinage from Phrygian civic mints, with visible paludamentum folds beneath the cuirass. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Μ ΑΥΡ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ ΚΑΙϹ |
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| Additional information |
Hierapolis in Phrygia held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — a distinction cities competed for aggressively during the third century, since it conferred prestige, pilgrims, and tax privileges. The Pythia reference on this issue is unexpected this far inland; it almost certainly alludes to local games modeled on the Delphic festival rather than any direct Apolline sanctuary connection, a form of civic one-upmanship common among Phrygian cities during Elagabalus's chaotic four-year reign.