Æ35 - Gordian III ΕΠΙ Ϲ Γ ΚΛ ΓΛΥΚΩΝΟϹ ΡΟΥΦΕΙΝΙΑΝΟ ΙΠΠΙΚΟΥ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΗΝΩΝ Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Pergamum held the title of neokoros — official guardian of an imperial cult temple — three times over, a distinction it fought hard to protect against rival cities like Smyrna and Ephesus. The magistrate named in this issue's legend, Claudius Glycon Rufeinianus, held the rank of hippikos, a Roman equestrian, marking him as one of the Romanized provincial elite who administered the conventus on Rome's behalf. Gordian III's reign saw a surge in civic bronze production across Asia Minor, partly because the emperor's youth and the political instability of his accession created strong local incentives to demonstrate loyalty through conspicuous coinage.