Æ34 - Marcus Aurelius ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡ Κ ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΟΥϹ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΗΝΩΝ ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ Β

The years 175–176 AD mark a specific and turbulent window: the revolt of Avidius Cassius, the Syrian governor who declared himself emperor after a false report of Marcus Aurelius's death reached the east. Pergamum sat squarely in the affected region, and civic coinages from this moment served the immediate political function of publicly reaffirming loyalty to the legitimate emperor. The designation ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ Β — second neokorate — records the city's status as twice-honored keeper of an imperial cult temple, a rank fiercely contested among the great cities of Asia Minor and granted only by senatorial decree.