Æ31 - Valerian and Gallienus ϹΙΔΗΤΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Side held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — and wore it aggressively on its coinage. The city claimed the honor multiple times over, and the ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ legend on this issue reflects civic prestige that was actively contested among Pamphylian cities during the third century. Perge and Aspendos both pushed comparable claims, making the title as much a political instrument as a religious one.

The joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus, which opened in 253, coincided with catastrophic pressure on the eastern frontier from Shapur I of Persia — pressure that ultimately ended with Valerian's capture at Edessa in 260, the only time a reigning Roman emperor was taken prisoner by a foreign enemy.