Æ30 - Septimius Severus ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΙΩΝΙΑ

Metropolis in Ionia was a minor civic center that punched above its weight in the provincial bronze series precisely because of the title embedded in its coin legends — the claim to be "metropolis of the cities of Ionia," a designation hotly contested among Ionian cities under Roman administration. The title carried real political weight, affecting a city's precedence at festivals, legal standing in the koinon, and the prestige of its ambassadors in Rome.

Severus's reign saw a surge in such honorific coinage as cities competed for imperial favor following the civil wars of 193 AD.