Æ30 - Elagabalus ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΠΥΘΙΑ

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.