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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |The Severan Period| ▸ |Elagabalus||View Options:   | | | Elagabalus came to power through the scheming of his grandmother Julia Maesa. Elagabalus repeatedly shocked the population with increasingly bizarre behavior including cross-dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Eventually, his grandmother replaced him on the throne with Severus Alexander, and Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome, and dumped into the Tiber. |
Samosata was an ancient city on the right (west) bank of the Euphrates. Its ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adiyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the Atatürk Dam. The unusual depiction of two Tyches suggests a link between Samosata and another city. The closest metropolis was Edessa in Mesopotamia, 20 miles to the east.RP112247. Bronze AE 21, RPC Online VI T7977 (6 spec.); BMC Galatia p. 120, 34 corr. (Caracalla); Butcher CRS 27 var. (no eagle); SNG Cop -, aVF, rough, porous, off center on a tight flan cutting off parts of legends, weight 5.201 g, maximum diameter 21.1 mm, die axis 0o, Samosata (site now flooded by the Atatürk Dam) mint, 16 Mar 218 - 11 Mar 222 A.D.; obverse AYT K M AY ANTWNINOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front; reverse MHTPO KOMMA Φ CAMOCATEWN, two busts of Tyche, draped, turreted and veiled, facing one another, eagle standing facing with head right and wings open between them; rare; $90.00 (€84.60)
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Caesarea, Cappadocia
Kayseri, originally called Mazaka or Mazaca, is in central Turkey on a low spur on the north side of Mount Erciyes (Mount Argaeus in ancient times). During Achaemenid Persian rule, it was the capital of a Satrapy on the crossroads of the Royal Road from Sardis to Susa and the trade route from Sinope to the Euphrates. It was conquered by Alexander's general Perdikkas, was ruled by Eumenes of Cardia, then passed to the Seleucid empire after the battle of Ipsus. It became the capital of the independent Cappadocian Kingdom under Ariarathes III, around 250 B.C. During Strabo's time it was also known as Eusebia, after the Cappadocian King Ariarathes V Eusebes, 163 – 130 B.C. The name was changed again to "Caesarea in Cappadocia" in honor of Caesar Augustus, upon his death in 14 A.D. The city passed under formal Roman rule in 17 A.D. In Roman times, it prospered on the route from Ephesus to the East. Caesarea was destroyed by the Sassanid King Shapur I after his victory over the Emperor Valerian I in 260 A.D. At the time it was recorded to have around 400,000 inhabitants. Arabic influence changed Caesarea to the modern name Kayseri. The city gradually recovered and has a population of around 1 million people today. Few traces of the ancient city survive.RP112707. Bronze AE 27, Henseler 1062 (698d, notes otherwise unpublished var.), RPC Online VI T6703.26, Sydenham Caesarea p. 119, 522 (obv. leg. var.), F, dark green patina, some legend weak/off flan, porous, weight 12.451 g, maximum diameter 27.0 mm, die axis 315o, Cappadocia, Caesarea (Kayseri, Turkey) mint, 219 - 220 A.D.; obverse AY M AYPHΛIOC - ANTWNEINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; countermark: head of Helios right (?, obscure, uncertain) in a 4.4mm round punch; reverse MHTPOΠO - KAICAPIAC, agalma of Mount Argaeus placed on garlanded altar, ET Γ (year 3) in exergue; $80.00 (€75.20)
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Caesarea, Cappadocia
Kayseri, originally called Mazaka or Mazaca, is in central Turkey on a low spur on the north side of Mount Erciyes (Mount Argaeus in ancient times). During Achaemenid Persian rule, it was the capital of a Satrapy on the crossroads of the Royal Road from Sardis to Susa and the trade route from Sinope to the Euphrates. It was conquered by Alexander's general Perdikkas, was ruled by Eumenes of Cardia, then passed to the Seleucid empire after the battle of Ipsus. It became the capital of the independent Cappadocian Kingdom under Ariarathes III, around 250 B.C. During Strabo's time it was also known as Eusebia, after the Cappadocian King Ariarathes V Eusebes, 163 – 130 B.C. The name was changed again to "Caesarea in Cappadocia" in honor of Caesar Augustus, upon his death in 14 A.D. The city passed under formal Roman rule in 17 A.D. In Roman times, it prospered on the route from Ephesus to the East. Caesarea was destroyed by the Sassanid King Shapur I after his victory over the Emperor Valerian I in 260 A.D. At the time it was recorded to have around 400,000 inhabitants. Arabic influence changed Caesarea to the modern name Kayseri. The city gradually recovered and has a population of around 1 million people today. Few traces of the ancient city survive.RP113940. Bronze AE 25, cf. RPC Online VI T6714.1 (same dies); Henseler 1080, F, nice green patina, legends weak/off flan, weight 11.583 g, maximum diameter 25.4 mm, die axis 315o, Cappadocia, Caesarea (Kayseri, Turkey) mint, 220 - 221 A.D.; obverse AY K M AYPHΛIOC - ANTWNEIN, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse MHTPOΠ - KAICAPI, agalma of Mount Argaeus placed on altar, surmounted by star, ET (year) on altar, Δ (4) in exergue; $80.00 (€75.20)
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Edessa, Mesopotamia
| Although the site of Urfa has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the city was founded in 304 B.C. by Seleucus I Nicator and named Edessa after the ancient capital of Macedonia. In the late 2nd century, as the Seleucid dynasty disintegrated, it became the capital of the Arab Nabataean Abgar dynasty, which was successively a Parthian, Armenian, and Roman client state and eventually a Roman province. Its location on the eastern frontier of the Empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian, Turkish rulers. In 1098, the crusader Baldwin of Boulogne convinced the Armenian king to adopt him and then seized power, establishing the first crusader state known as the County of Edessa and imposing Latin Christianity on the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic majority of the population. |  |
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior
Renamed by Trajan after his sister, Ulpia Marciana, Marcianopolis was an important strategic center, part of Roman Thrace until c. 190, and then belonged to Moesia inferior. Marcianopolis' prosperity was ended by Gothic raids in 248 and 249, another in 267 or 268, and other barbarian invasions from the north. The city recovered and under Diocletian Marcianopolis became the center of the province Moesia Secunda of the Diocese of Thrace, and was thoroughly rebuilt in the late 3rd and early 4th century. During Valens' conflict with the Goths (366 - 369), Marcianopolis was a temporary capital of the empire and the largest city of Thrace. In 447, it was destroyed by the Huns under Attila, immediately after the bloody Battle of the Utus River. Justinian I restored and fortified it, but it was subject to regular barbarian attacks. An Avar raid finally destroyed it in 614 or 615.RP113325. Bronze tetrassarion, RPC Online VI T1391 (10 spec.); H-J Marcianopolis 6.26.32.3; Varbanov I 1590; AMNG 835, aVF, broad flan, rough, scratches, central mint dimples; struck under legatus Augusti pro praetore Iulius Antonius Seleukos, weight 10.055 g, maximum diameter 26.6 mm, die axis 0o, Markianopolis (Devnya, Bulgaria) mint, 16 May 218 - 11 Mar 222 A.D.; obverse AVT K M AVPHΛIOC ANTΩNEINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse VΠ IOVΛ ANT CEΛEVKOV MAPK,IANOΠO/ΛITΩN (ending in two lines in exergue), River-god Istrus reclining right, reed upright in right hand, inverted vase behind from which water flows, left hand resting on galley on far side; ex CNG e-sale 537 (26 Apr 2023), lot 274; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection; $70.00 (€65.80)
Thyateira, Lydia, c. 218 - 235 A.D.
Thyateira (also Thyatira) is the ancient name of the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle"). In Revelation, Thyatira is the church that had a false prophetess (Revelation 2:20).
It is uncertain if Athena is holding a spear over her left shoulder on the obverse of our coin. That such a spear-less variety exists is suggested by both BMC Lydia 32 and 31 (whose reverse depicts Athena holding a patera in place of Nike), although neither coin has been seen by this cataloger. Also, contrary to the claim of RPC Online VI (as of 1 Feb. 2024), Dane Kurth did indeed record our type (assuming it has an obverse spear) under GRPC Lydia 82. Spear or no spear, hopefully the reader has understood the point of this commentary.GB113946. Bronze AE 19, cf. RPC Online VI T30620 (obv. spear); GRPC Lydia 82 (same); SNG Hunt 1362-1363 (same; leg. arr.); BMC Lydia p. 297, 32 (no obv. spear?; leg. arr.), F, slightly rough, bare metal surfaces, weight 3.557 g, maximum diameter 19.3 mm, die axis 180o, Thyatira (Akhisar, Turkey) mint, time of Elagablus-Sev. Alexander, 218 - 235 A.D.; obverse draped bust of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet and aegis partially fringed with snakes, spear(?) over left shoulder; reverse ΘYAT-E-IPHNΩN, Athena standing facing, helmeted head left, Nike in right hand, grounded shield and upright spear supported with her left hand; $70.00 (€65.80)
Hierapolis, Phrygia, c. 218 - 222 A.D.
Struck during the reign of Elagabalus. The AKTIA festival and games at Hierapolis were founded in honor of Augustus' victory at Actium. RP114892. Bronze AE 26, RPC Online VI T5485; Johnston Hierapolis 74; BMC Phrygia p. 242, 89; SNG Cop 444; Waddington 6128; SNGvA -; SNG Tüb -; SNG Hunt -; Weber -; McClean -, aF, uneven strike, flan crack, part of rev. flattened by countermarking, weight 5.609 g, maximum diameter 24.30 mm, die axis 180o, Phrygia, Hierapolis (near Pamukkale, Turkey) mint, pseudo-autonomous, c. 218 - 222 A.D.; obverse IEPA CY-NKΛHTO-C, draped bust of the senate right; countermark: Nike(?); reverse IEPAΠOΛEITΩN NEΩKOPΩN, A/KTI/A in three lines within a demos crown (laurel wreath); very rare; $70.00 (€65.80)
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Laodikea ad Mare, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria
Laodicea ad Mare prospered thanks to the excellent wine produced in the nearby hills and was also famous for its textiles, both of which were exported to all the empire. A sizable Jewish population lived in Laodicea during the first century. Under Septimius Severus the city was fortified and was made for a few years the capital of Roman Syria: in this period Laodicea grew to be a city of nearly 40,000 inhabitants and even had a hippodrome. Christianity was the main religion in the city after Constantine I and many bishops of Laodicea participated in ecumenical councils, mainly during Byzantine times. The heretic Apollinarius was bishop of Laodicea in the 4th century, when the city was fully Christian but with a few remaining Jews. An earthquake damaged the city in 494 A.D. Justinian I made Laodicea the capital of the Byzantine province of "Theodorias" in the early sixth century. Laodicea remained its capital for more than a century until the Arab conquest.RY114965. Bronze AE 17, RPC Online VI T8152 (6 spec.); BMC Galatia p. 261; 101; SNG Cop 374, F, dark patina, earthen deposits, tight flan, weight 3.518 g, maximum diameter 16.6 mm, die axis 0o, Laodicea ad Mare (Latakia, Syria) mint, 16 May 218 - 11 Mar 222 A.D.; obverse IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS, laureate head right; reverse LAΔICEON, turreted and draped bust of Tyche under arched lintel of shrine with two columns (distyle), Δ E in exergue; first specimen of this type handled by FORVM; $65.00 (€61.10)
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Caesarea, Cappadocia
Kayseri, originally called Mazaka or Mazaca, is in central Turkey on a low spur on the north side of Mount Erciyes (Mount Argaeus in ancient times). During Achaemenid Persian rule, it was the capital of a Satrapy on the crossroads of the Royal Road from Sardis to Susa and the trade route from Sinope to the Euphrates. It was conquered by Alexander's general Perdikkas, was ruled by Eumenes of Cardia, then passed to the Seleucid empire after the battle of Ipsus. It became the capital of the independent Cappadocian Kingdom under Ariarathes III, around 250 B.C. During Strabo's time it was also known as Eusebia, after the Cappadocian King Ariarathes V Eusebes, 163 – 130 B.C. The name was changed again to "Caesarea in Cappadocia" in honor of Caesar Augustus, upon his death in 14 A.D. The city passed under formal Roman rule in 17 A.D. In Roman times, it prospered on the route from Ephesus to the East. Caesarea was destroyed by the Sassanid King Shapur I after his victory over the Emperor Valerian I in 260 A.D. At the time it was recorded to have around 400,000 inhabitants. Arabic influence changed Caesarea to the modern name Kayseri. The city gradually recovered and has a population of around 1 million people today. Few traces of the ancient city survive.MA113941. Bronze AE 29, cf. RPC Online VI T6661, Henseler 1038, Ganschow -, aF, weight 8.850 g, maximum diameter 29.0 mm, die axis 0o, Cappadocia, Caesarea (Kayseri, Turkey) mint, 218 - 219 A.D.; obverse AY K M AYPHΛIOC - ANTWNEINOC CEB, laureate and draped bust right, seen from slightly behind right shoulder; reverse MHTPO-Π - K-AICAPI, agalma of Mount Argaeus on altar, three figures standing on peak, altar inscribed ET B (year 2) on altar, NEΩKO (neokoros) in exergue; ex Leu Numismatik web auction 24 (06 Dec 22), lot 4995 (part of); ex European collection formed before 2005; $8.50 (€7.99)
This type commemorated the departure of Elagabalus from Antioch to Rome together with the sacred stone of his cult (probably a meteorite). At each summer solstice Elagabalus celebrated a great festival during which he paraded the holy stone through the city of Rome. Herodian described the spectacle: "A six horse chariot carried the divinity, the horses huge and flawlessly white, with expensive gold fittings and rich ornaments. No one held the reins, and no one rode in the chariot; the vehicle was escorted as if the god himself were the charioteer. Elagabalus ran backward in front of the chariot, facing the god and holding the horses' reins. He made the whole journey in this reverse fashion, looking up into the face of his god.RS34938. Silver denarius, BMCRE V 284, RSC III 268, RIC IV 195, SRCV II 7545, Choice gVF, weight 2.655 g, maximum diameter 18.8 mm, die axis 180o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 16 May 218 - 219 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL (ELAGABAL in exergue, "to the holy god, the sun Elagabal"), slow quadriga right, carrying the conical Stone of Elah-Gabal ornamented on the front with an eagle and surrounded by four parasols; very rare; SOLD
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