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Æ30 - Severus Alexander ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ Δ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ
| Issuer | Ephesus (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | A carpentum — a ceremonial two-wheeled Roman carriage with an arched canopy — drawn to the right by a team of two horses rendered in dynamic motion. The vehicle and horses are depicted in profile, occupying the central field of the coin in the characteristic style of Ephesian provincial bronzes. The Greek legend ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ Δ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ encircles the design, proclaiming Ephesus's prestigious status as four-time neocorate, a title of great civic honour in the imperial cult. |
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The title ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ — "temple warden" — was fiercely contested among the great cities of Roman Asia. Ephesus held the distinction of being a four-time neokoros, having received successive imperial cult temple grants under Domitian, Hadrian, and twice more by the Severan period. That fourth wardenship, confirmed under Caracalla or his immediate successors, is precisely what this coin advertises. Cities spent enormous political capital lobbying Rome for each grant, and the title carried tangible economic benefits through festival traffic and pilgrimage.
Bronze civic issues of this weight class from Ephesus frequently show die alignment inconsistencies, a product of workshop volume rather than any specific production fault.