Æ35 - Commodus ΙΕΡΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ

The ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ("homonoia") coinage between Hierapolis and Ephesus belongs to a well-documented phenomenon in the Greek East whereby rival cities negotiated formal concordat agreements, often to resolve disputes over temple precedence, trade routes, or the ranking of civic titles. Hierapolis, positioned along the Lycus valley road, competed aggressively for neokorate status and commercial standing throughout the Antonine and Severan periods. These alliance coins were the public face of such diplomacy — struck in large bronzes precisely because visibility mattered.

The pairing with Ephesus, the most powerful city in Asia Minor, signals that Hierapolis was the junior partner in this arrangement.