The ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ("homonoia") coinage issued jointly between Hierapolis in Phrygia and Smyrna belongs to a well-documented class of alliance bronzes that proliferated across Asia Minor during the third century, when cities competed aggressively for imperial favor and prestige rankings. Smyrna held the distinction of being among the earliest twice-neokorate cities in the province, and Hierapolis leveraged its own neokorate status to negotiate these symbolic partnerships. The coins themselves are diplomatic objects as much as monetary ones — their circulation was likely ceremonial rather than transactional.
The ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ("homonoia") coinage issued jointly between Hierapolis in Phrygia and Smyrna belongs to a well-documented class of alliance bronzes that proliferated across Asia Minor during the third century, when cities competed aggressively for imperial favor and prestige rankings. Smyrna held the distinction of being among the earliest twice-neokorate cities in the province, and Hierapolis leveraged its own neokorate status to negotiate these symbolic partnerships. The coins themselves are diplomatic objects as much as monetary ones — their circulation was likely ceremonial rather than transactional.