Sardis held the neokorate — the right to maintain an imperial cult temple — twice by this period, a status aggressively pursued by cities across the province of Lydia as a marker of Roman favor and a driver of festival revenue. The magistrate named in the legend, Gaius Salvius Claudianus, is attested in multiple issues from this reign, suggesting he held the archonship across at least two consecutive terms, which was not standard practice and may reflect political disruption at the civic level during Elagabalus's chaotic four-year reign.
Sardis held the neokorate — the right to maintain an imperial cult temple — twice by this period, a status aggressively pursued by cities across the province of Lydia as a marker of Roman favor and a driver of festival revenue. The magistrate named in the legend, Gaius Salvius Claudianus, is attested in multiple issues from this reign, suggesting he held the archonship across at least two consecutive terms, which was not standard practice and may reflect political disruption at the civic level during Elagabalus's chaotic four-year reign.