Æ42 - Caracalla ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡ ΙΟΥΛ ΑΝΘΙΜΟΥ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΗΝΩΝ, ΠΡΩΤΩΝ ΤΡΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Pergamum's claim to *tris neokoros* — temple wardenship three times over — was hard-won through decades of political maneuvering with Rome, and the city used every coin it struck as an argument for its primacy over rival Smyrna and Ephesus. The magistrate named in the legend, Julius Anthimos, held the strategia during Caracalla's reign, and his name appearing so prominently reflects the intense local competition for the prestige of issuing imperial-era civic bronzes.

At 42mm and over 41 grams, this is among the largest module struck by the Pergamene mint — a deliberate choice when civic rivalry made the physical weight of a coin a statement in itself.