Æ31 - Elagabalus ΛΑΟΔΙΚΕΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΔΟΓΜΑΤΙ ϹΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΥ

Laodicea ad Lycum held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — an honor granted by decree of the Roman Senate, which is precisely what ΔΟΓΜΑΤΙ ϹΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΥ records on this coin. The city pursued that distinction aggressively during the Severan period, and the reign of Elagabalus, chaotic as it was in Rome, proved no obstacle to provincial civic pride. Laodicea was sufficiently wealthy and politically connected to keep minting large, ambitious bronzes regardless of who sat on the throne.