| Image search results - "Fulvia" |
"EVMENEΩN" and "ΦIΛΩNIΔOY" (monograms to be read as)PHRYGIA. Eumeneia. Fulvia. Æ 19. Ca. 41-40 B.C. Obv: Draped bust of Fulvia as winged Nike r.; 2 cm’s, (1) on head, (2) above head. Rev: (ΦYΛOYIANΩN) to right, ΣMEPTOPIΓ(OΣ)/(ΦIΛΩNIΔOY) in 2 lines to l. Athena adv. l., hld. spear and shield. Ref: BMC 20-21 (?); RPC 3139 (7 pcs). Axis: 330°. Weight: 6.84 g. Magistrate: Zmertorigos Philopatris. Note: Eumeneia changed its name to Fulvia on the occasion of Mark Antony's journey to the east in 41 B.C., likely propmting the issue of coins. After Fulvia died the city took back its old name. On BMC 21 the ethnic "ΦYΛOVIANΩN" may be purposefully erased, which also seems to be the case on this specimen! Both coins are countermarked, and the cm's may be read "EVMENEΩN" and "ΦIΛΩNIΔOY". The purpose of countermarking in combination with the erasure of the city name, thus, seems to have been to make note of second name change. CM(1): Monogram of EVMNO (?), in circ. punch, 4 mm. CM(2): Monogram of ΦIΛNΔ (?), in circ. punch, 3.5 mm. Collection Automan.Automan
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001b. FulviaThe Triumvirs. Mark Antony. Late summer-autumn 43 BC. AR Quinarius (13mm, 1.62 g, 12h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Winged bust of Victory right, with the likeness of Fulvia / Lion walking right; DVN[I] (retrograde and inverted) above, [LVGV] in exergue; [A] to left, X [L] to right (= 40, Antony’s age at time of issue). Crawford 489/5; Lyon 2; King 75; CRI 122; Sydenham 1160; Fulvia 4; RBW 1712. Fine, toned, banker’s mark on the reverse.
Ex Davissons 28 (17 December 2009), lot 73.ecoli
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001n. FulviaFulvia was the second wife of Marc Antony. She previously was married to two powerful politicians and was very politically active herself. She reportedly controlled some gangs in Rome, 'inheriting' them after the death of her first husband. She married Marc Antony in 46-47 BC, and her daughter married Octavian. She continued to be very active in Roman politics, and according to Cassius Dio, may have been the most powerful woman in Rome during the period. Fulvia helped raise 8 legions for Antony. She died of illness in exile in 40 BC.
Coin: PHRYGIA. Ae. 41-40 BC. Zmertorix, son of Philonides, magistrate. Obv: Winged bust of Fulvia (as Victory) right. Rev: ΦOVΛOVIANΩΝ / ZMEPTΟΡΙΓΟΣ ΦΙΛΟΝΙΔΟV. Athena standing left, holding shield and spear. 7.72 g. 21 mm. RPC I 3139; BMC 21. Naumann Auct 111, Lot 621.
lawrence c
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001n2. FulviaAR Quinarius. 43 BC. Lugdunum Mint. Obv: III VIR R P C, bust of Victory right with the probable likeness of Fulvia
Rev: Lion right between A and XLI; ANTONI above, IMP in ex. Cr489/6; Sy 1163.
NOTE: Although the portrait is not absolutely confirmed as being Fulvia, it is very similar to those of other provincial coins that are attributed to her.lawrence c
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014 - FVLVIAFulvia was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. She gained access to power through her marriage to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio, and Mark Antony.
for obverse, reverse and coin details click here
shanxi
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090 - PLAVTILLAPublia Fulvia Plautilla was the wife of the Roman emperor Caracalla.
for obverse, reverse and coin details click here
shanxi
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1ae2 FulviaFirst wife of Marc Antony
ca 83-40 BC
AR Quinarius
Bust of Victory right with the likeness of Fulvia, III VIR R P C
Lion right between A and XLI; ANTONI above, IMP in ex
RSC 3, Syd 1163, Cr489/6
Fulvia was the first Roman non-mythological woman to appear on Roman coins. She gained access to power through her marriage to three of the most promising men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio, and Marcus Antonius. All three husbands were politically active populares, tribunes, and supporters of Julius Caesar. Fulvia married Mark Antony in 47 or 46 BC, a few years after Curio's death, although Cicero suggested that Fulvia and Antony had had a relationship since 58 BC. According to him, while Fulvia and Antony were married, Antony once left a military post to sneak back into Rome during the night and personally deliver a love letter to Fulvia describing his love for her and how he had stopped seeing the famous actress Cytheris. Cicero also suggested that Antony married Fulvia for her money. At the time of their marriage, Antony was an established politician. He had already been tribune in 49 BC, commanded armies under Caesar and was Master of the Horse in 47 BC. As a couple, they were a formidable political force in Rome, and had two sons together, Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius.
Suetonius wrote, "[Antony] took a wife, Fulvia, the widow of Clodius the demagogue, a woman not born for spinning or housewifery, nor one that could be content with ruling a private husband, but prepared to govern a first magistrate, or give orders to a commander-in-chief. So that Cleopatra had great obligations to her for having taught Antony to be so good a servant, he coming to her hands tame and broken into entire obedience to the commands of a mistress. He used to play all sorts of sportive, boyish tricks, to keep Fulvia in good-humour. As, for example, when Caesar, after his victory in Spain, was on his return, Antony, among the rest, went out to meet him; and, a rumour being spread that Caesar was killed and the enemy marching into Italy, he returned to Rome, and, disguising himself, came to her by night muffled up as a servant that brought letters from Antony. She, with great impatience, before received the letter, asks if Antony were well, and instead of an answer he gives her the letter; and, as she was opening it, took her about the neck and kissed her."
After Julius Caesar was assassinated, Antony became the most powerful man in Rome. Fulvia was heavily involved in the political aftermath. After Caesar's death, the senate realized his popularity and declared that they would pass all of Caesar's planned laws. Antony had attained possession of Caesar's papers, and with the ability to produce papers in support of any law, Fulvia and Antony made a fortune and gained immense power. She allegedly accompanied Antony to his military camp at Brundisium in 44 BC. Appian wrote that in December 44 and again in 41 BC, while Antony was abroad and Cicero campaigned for Antony to be declared an enemy of the state, Fulvia attempted to block such declarations by soliciting support on Antony's behalf.
Antony formed the second triumvirate with Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus on 43 BC and began to conduct proscriptions. To solidify the political alliance, Fulvia's daughter Clodia was married to the young Octavian. Appian and Cassius Dio describe Fulvia as being involved in the violent proscriptions, which were used to destroy enemies and gain badly needed funds to secure control of Rome. Antony pursued his political enemies, chief among them being Cicero, who had openly criticized him for abusing his powers as consul after Caesar's assassination. Though many ancient sources wrote that Fulvia was happy to take revenge against Cicero for Antony's and Clodius' sake, Cassius Dio is the only ancient source that describes the joy with which she pierced the tongue of the dead Cicero with her golden hairpins, as a final revenge against Cicero's power of speech.
In 42 BC, Antony and Octavian left Rome to pursue Julius Caesar's assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Fulvia was left behind as the most powerful woman in Rome. According to Cassius Dio, Fulvia controlled the politics of Rome. Dio wrote that "the following year Publius Servilius and Lucius Antonius nominally became consuls, but in reality it was Antonius and Fulvia. She, the mother-in‑law of Octavian and wife of Antony, had no respect for Lepidus because of his slothfulness, and managed affairs herself, so that neither the senate nor the people transacted any business contrary to her pleasure."
Shortly afterwards, the triumvirs then distributed the provinces among them. Lepidus took the west and Antony went to Egypt, where he met Cleopatra VII. When Octavian returned to Rome in 41 BC to disperse land to Caesar's veterans, he divorced Fulvia's daughter and accused Fulvia of aiming at supreme power. Fulvia allied with her brother-in-law Lucius Antonius and publicly endorsed Mark Antony in opposition to Octavian.
In 41 BC, tensions between Octavian and Fulvia escalated to war in Italy. Together with Lucius Antonius, she raised eight legions in Italy to fight for Antony's rights against Octavian, an event known as the Perusine War. Fulvia fled to Greece with her children. Appian writes that she met Antony in Athens, and he was upset with her involvement in the war. Antony then sailed back to Rome to deal with Octavian, and Fulvia died of an unknown illness in exile in Sicyon, near Corinth, Achaea.Blindado
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1ai Augustus27 BC-14 AD
Denarius
Laureate head left, AVGVSTVS DIVI F
Apollo stg. Right, IMP XII
Van Meter notes that after about 15 BC, Augustus moved the production of gold and silver to Lugdunum and underscored the end of the moneyer issues by using "IMP" on the reverse.
RIC 180
Suetonius summarized Augusts' life in these words: He lost his father at the age of five (58BC). At twelve he delivered a funeral oration in honour of his grandmother Julia, Julius Caesar’s sister (51BC). At sixteen, having assumed the toga, he was decorated by Caesar during the African triumph (46BC) even though he had been too young to fight. When Caesar went to conquer Pompey’s sons in Spain (in 46BC), Augustus followed, despite still being weak from severe illness, and despite being shipwrecked on the way, with a minimal escort, over roads menaced by the enemy, so endearing himself greatly to Caesar, who quickly formed a high opinion of Augustus’ character, beyond merely his energetic pursuit of the journey.
After recovering the Spanish provinces, Caesar planned an expedition against the Dacians, to be followed by an attack on Parthia, and sent Augustus ahead (in 45BC) to Apollonia in Illyria, where he spent his time studying. When news came of Caesar’s assassination (in 44BC), and that the will named him as the main heir, Augustus considered seeking protection from the legions quartered there. However he decided it would be rash and premature, and chose to return to Rome, and enter on his inheritance, despite the doubts expressed by his mother, and strong opposition from his stepfather, the ex-consul Marcius Philippus.
Augustus went on to levy armies and rule the State; firstly for a twelve-year period (from 43BC to 30BC), initially with Mark Antony and Lepidus and then (from 33BC) with Antony alone; and later by himself for a further forty-four years (to his death in AD14).
In his youth he was betrothed to Servilia, the daughter of Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus, but on his reconciliation with Mark Antony following their first dispute, the troops begged them to become allied by some tie of kinship, and he married (in 43BC) Claudia, Antony’s stepdaughter, born to Fulvia and Publius Clodius Pulcher, even though Claudia was barely of marriageable age. However he quarrelled with Fulvia, and divorced Claudia before the marriage had been consummated.
Not long afterwards (in 40BC), he married Scribonia, whose previous husbands had been ex-consuls, and to one of whom she had borne a child. He divorced her also ‘tired’, he wrote, ‘of her shrewish ways,’ and immediately took Livia Drusilla from her husband Tiberius Nero though she was pregnant at the time (38BC), loving and esteeming her alone to the end.Blindado
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202-205 AD - PLAUTILLA As (cast)obv: PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA (draped bust right)
rev: PIETAS AVGG / S.C. (Pietas standing right holding scepter & child)
ref: RIC IVi 581(Caracalla) (R), C.19 (8frcs)
3.32gms, 23mm
Extremely rare
Fulvia Plautilla was the wife of Caracalla (AD202-205). In 205 she was banished to Sicily, later to the isle of Lipari, where was assassinated by Caracalla’s order in 212 AD.berserker
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202a. PlautillaPlautilla
From the time of his name change to Antoninus, Caracalla was the designated heir of Severus. Less than three years later he was proclaimed emperor, officially joining his father as co-rulers of the empire. At the age of 14 he was married to the daughter of the praetorian prefect Plautianus Publia Fulvia Plautilla, but the teenager despised his wife. The marriage ended less than three years later after the execution of Plautianus for treason, and there were no children.
Rome, AD 202. PLAVTILLAE AVGVSTAE, Draped bust right, with hair not on the neck / CONCORDIAE, Concordia seated left, holding patera & cornucopiae.ecoli
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4) Antony: FulviaFulvia, 1st wife of Antony
AR Quinarius, 43 BC.
Lugdunum Mint.
III VIR R P C, bust of Victory right with the likeness of Fulvia / Lion right between A and XLI; ANTONI above, IMP in ex.
Cr489/6; Sy 1163, RSC 3, Sear5 #1519
RM0026Sosius
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40 BC Octavian denariusC CAESAR III VIR R P C
Bare haed of Octavian right
Q SALVIVS IMP COS DESIG
thunderbolt
Italy early 40 BC
3.43g
Sear 1541
SOLD!
David Sear says that this Q Salvius may be Quintus Salvius Salvidienus Rufus who was the boyhood friend and confidant of Octavian. In 42 BC Octavian made him admiral of his fleet and instructed him to attack Sextus Pompey in Sicily. Despite being beaten by Sextus he was granted the title of Imperator which appears on this coin.
After the battle of Philippi Salvidienus was given command of 6 Legions an sent to Spain however he quickly had to return to Italy to confront Fulvia (Antony's wife) and Lucius Antonius (Antony's brother). Salvidienus captured and destroyed the city of Sentinum and then moved on to Perusia with Agrippa to besiege Lucius Antony. At the end of the Perusian War Octavian sent Salvidienus to Gallia as Governor, with eleven legions. He was also designated as consul for 39 BC, although he had not reached senatorial rank.
Salvidienus proved to be unworthy of Octavian's trust and entered into secret negotiations with Mark Antony thinking that Antony would prevail. Unfortunately for Salvidienus, Antony and Octavian were reconciled and Antony informed Octavian of Salvidienus treachary. Antony's decision to inform on Salvidienus has been used to show his desire to settle the differences with Octavian. The senate declared Salvidienus a public enemy and shortly after he was killed, either by his own hand or by execution.Jay GT4
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Cr 489/6 AR Quinarius M. AntoniusQuinarius, Lugdunum ? 42 BCE 1.78 gm
o: [III·VIR·] R·P·C around head of Victory (with features of Fulvia?)
r: [A]NTONI Lion walking r.; at sides, [A] – XL[I]. In exergue, IMP.
Usually said to be Antony's third wife, Fulvia and as giving his age of 41. The idea that the portrait is Fulvia is a bit of a stretch, and Crawford does not mention or attribute it as such in RRC. Nor is "Victoria" obvious, as the wings, if that is what is visible in FDC examples, are tiny even compared to full statuette forms. In every example I have seen, the portrait is poorly-executed and hardly a tribute to either Victory or Fulvia herself. Fulvia seems to have been a formidable person, and so the non-standard style would be perhaps consistent, but the uninspired portrait would then have been a significant failure.
The attribution of Antony's age as "41", which certainly fits some chronologies, nonetheless does not have a better explanation than that it seems that Julius Caesar put his age at "52" on a coin. There is debate about the dating and meaning of such age references, but, from my perspective, neither age matters as an absolute number -- both Antony and particularly Caesar had already legally been through the cursus, including Consul. Antony was Consul for 44 BCE. (Otherwise, as to Antony, we would have heard from Cicero at excruciating length.) Perhaps these are "birthday" issues, but a sad, lonely and pathetic birthday it would reflect. Antony's later coins with Octavia are more persuasive.
Antonia 32. Sydenham 1163. Sear Imperators 126.PMah
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Cr. 489/5, Fulvia, Lion, QuinariusFulvia (83 BC – 40 BC)
Powerful aristocratic woman, wife of Publius Clodius Pulcher (62-52 BC), Gaius Scribonius Curio (52-51 BC) and Marcus Antonius (47-40 BC).
AR Quinarius, Late 43-42 BC
Obv.: Winged bust of Fulvia as Victory
Rev.: [LVGV] DVNI [A] XL, Lion advancing right
Ag, 1.66g, 13.2mm
Ref.: Craw. 489/5, RPC 512, Syd. 1160shanxi
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Crawford 517/5, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Marc Antony, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
Marc Antony and M. Nerva, 41 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.69g; 20mm).
Ephesus mint.
Obverse: M·ANT·IMP·AVG·III·VIR· R·P·CM·NERVAPROQ·P; bare head of Marc Antony, facing right.
Reverse: L·ANTONIVS – COS; bare head of Lucius Antony, facing right.
References: Crawford 517/5a; HCRI 246; Sydenham 1185; BMCRR (East) 107; Antonia 48; Banti & Simonetti 3 (this coin illustrated)
Provenance: Ex Private Japanese Collection [Heritage 3081 (12 Jan 2020) Lot 30157]; Heritage 3030 (5 Jan 2014) Lot 23911; Stack's (14 Jun 1971) Lot 332; Valentine John Eustace Ryan (d. 1947) Collection [Glendining (2 Apr 1952) Lot 1932].
This coin was struck in Ephesus by Marc Antony and the pro quaestor M. Cocceius Nerva (ancestor of the Emperor Nerva) during the year of Lucius Antony’s consulship. Lucius Antony was Marc Antony’s younger brother and supporter. During Lucius’ time as consul, Octavian was in the process of allotting confiscated land throughout Italy to army veterans. In response to the unpopular policy, Lucius Antony conspired with Marc Antony’s wife, Fulvia, to defend cities and landowners against Octavian’s confiscations. Lucius and Fulvia expected Marc Antony’s Gallic colleagues to support their efforts, but such support never materialized. As a result, Octavian besieged them at Perusia, where they were hunkering-down, and they eventually capitulated. Octavian pardoned them, rather than risk incurring Marc Antony’s wrath. Lucius was made governor of Spain where he eventually died.
The portraiture of the brothers Antony on this coin are quite distinct, and likely veristic; Lucius being depicted with a bald pate and a more aquiline nose compared to his elder brother.
Carausius
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crw 489/5 . Mark Antony with M. Aemilius Lepidus AR quinarius – Fulvia (wife of M. Antony) as Victory . 43BC Mark Antony with M. Aemilius Lepidus AR quinarius – Fulvia (wife of M. Antony) as Victory . 43BC
Lugdunum mint . 1.26g
Bust of Victory right
DVNI A XL LVGV, Lion standing right
Cr. 489/5. Syd.1160
Ex RomanorumVladislav D
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FulviaBust of Fulvia (as Nike) right
Athena standing left, holding shield and spear; ΦOYΛOYIANON in right field, ZMEPTOPIΓOΣ ΦIΛΩNIΔOΥ in two lines in left field.
Phrygia 41, 40 BC
6.69g
Rare
Ex-Savoca
RPC 3139; SNG München –; BMC 21
Fulvia married Mark Antony in 44 BC, and became an outspoken defender of his interests in Rome while he campaigned in the East. The city name of Eumenea in Phrygia was changed to Fulvia on the occasion of Mark Antony's journey to the east in 41 BC. Fulvia was to die at Sicyon the next year, hence this was a short-lived coinage. Sometime afterward these coins struck at "Fulviana" had their ethnic scratched off, and two countermarks were applied: one may be resolved as Eumeneia; the other as Philonidos, (although Zmertorix himself has been suggested). These countermarks suggest that, rather than melting down the coinage of Fulvia and striking new coins, a more expeditious solution was required to keep needed currency in circulation. This coin was not countermarked Jay GT4
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Fulvia (42 BCE) quinarius (AR)Obv.: [III VIR R P C] (Bust of Victory with the likeness of Fulvia) Rev.: ANTON[I] (Lion std.) Field: [A XLI] Exergue: [IMP] Diameter: 13 mm Weight: 1,35 g RSC 3 Sear 126
One of the most fascinating women in Roman history, Martial records a supposed epigram of Augustus starring the notorious Fulvia (not for the prudish amongst us):
"Spiteful censor of the Latin Language, read
six insolent verses of Caesar Augustus:
"Because Antony fucks Glaphyra, Fulvia has arranged
this punishment for me: that I fuck her too.
That I fuck Fulvia? What if Manius begged me to bugger him?
Would I? I don't think so, if I were sane.
"Either fuck or fight", she says. Doesn't she know my prick is dearer to me than life itself? Let the trumpets blare!"
Augustus, you certainly grant my clever little books pardon, since you are the expert at speaking with Roman frankness."Nick.vdw
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Fulvia - PhrygiaPHRYGIA, Eumeneia
Fulvia, wife of Mark Anthony. Æ 19. Ca. 41-40 B.C.
Obverse: Draped bust of Fulvia as winged Nike right.; 2 cm’s, (1) on head, (2) above head.
Reverse : (ΦYΛOYIANΩN) to right, ΣMEPTOPIΓ(OΣ)/(ΦIΛΩNIΔOY) in 2 lines to l. Athena adv. l., hld. spear and shield.
BMC 20-21 (?); RPC 3139 (7 pcs).
19mm, 6.84 g.
Magistrate: Zmertorigos Philopatris.
Note: Eumeneia changed its name to Fulvia on the occasion of Mark Antony's journey to the east in 41 B.C., likely propmting the issue of coins. After Fulvia died the city took back its old name. On BMC 21 the ethnic "ΦYΛOVIANΩN" may be purposefully erased, which also seems to be the case on this specimen! Both coins are countermarked, and the cm's may be read "EVMENEΩN" and "ΦIΛΩNIΔOY". The purpose of countermarking in combination with the erasure of the city name, thus, seems to have been to make note of second name change. CM(1): Monogram of EVMNO (?), in circ. punch, 4 mm. CM(2): Monogram of ΦIΛNΔ (?), in circ. punch, 3.5 mm.
Jerome Holderman
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Fulvia Second wife of Mark AntonyBust of Fulvia as Victory right
Lion right between A and XL (year 40) LVGV in ex DVNI above
Lugdunum, autumn 43 BC
1.37g
Sear 1518
RSC 4
Antony's name is not mentioned on the coin but the date-numeral A XL (year 40) refers to his age at the time of the issue. A similar type was struck the following year which includes Antony's name and titles and recods his age as 41.
Silver Quinarius fouree 1.36gm
ex CNG 9/98 #1358
LOSTJay GT4
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Fulvia Second wife of Mark Antony Bust of Fulvia as Victory right
Lion right between A and XL (year 40) LVGV in ex DVNI above
Lugdunum, autumn 43 BC
1.74g
Sear 1518; RSC 4; Crawford 489/5 Antonia 32 Sydenham 1160 scarce.
Antony's name is not mentioned on the coin but the date-numeral A XL (year 40) refers to his age at the time of the issue. A similar type was struck the following year which includes Antony's name and titles and recods his age as 41.
Ex-LucernaeJay GT4
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Fulvia Second wife of Mark AntonyIII VIR R P C
Winged head of fulvia as the goddess Victory right
ANTONI IMP
Lion walking right with Date A XLI (year 41)
Lugdunum
42 BC
1.46g
Rare
Sear 1519; Crawford 489/6; CRI 126; Sydenham 1163
On this quinarius Antony's name is mentioned with A XLI (year 41) and refers to his age at the time of the issue. A similar type was struck the previous year which doesn't include Antony's name or titles yet records his age as 40.
Jay GT4
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Fulvia, 3rd wife of Marc Antony. Died 40 BCEL. Mussidius Longus
AR Denarius, Rome mint, 42 BCE. (17 mm, 3.5 g)
Obv: Draped bust of Fulvia as Victory, r.
Rev: L. MVSSIDIVS / LONGVS, Victory in biga r., holding reins.
Sear 1517; RRC 494/40; BMCRR 4229; Sydenham 1095; RSC Mussidia 4.
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Italy, Sicily, View of Solanto from the ruins of Soluntum (aka Solus, Solous, and Kefra)View of Solanto from the ruins of Soluntum (aka Solus, Solous, and Kefra), Sicily
Solus (or Soluntum, near modern Solanto) was an ancient city on the north coast of Sicily, one of the three chief Phoenician settlements on the island, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of Panormus (modern Palermo). It lay 183 meters (600 ft) above sea level, on the southeast side of Monte Catalfano 373 meters (1,225 ft), in a naturally strong situation, and commanding a fine view. The date of its founding is unknown. Solus was one of the few colonies that the Phoenicians retained when they withdrew to the northwest corner of the island before the advance of the Greek colonies in Sicily. Together with Panormus and Motya, it allied with the Carthaginians. In 396 B.C. Dionysius took the city but it probably soon broke away again to Carthage and was usually part of their dominions on the island. In 307 B.C. it was given to the soldiers and mercenaries of Agathocles, who had made peace with the Carthage when abandoned by their leader in Africa. During the First Punic War it was still subject to Carthage, and it was not until after the fall of Panormus that Soluntum also opened its gates to the Romans. It continued to under Roman dominion as a municipal town, but apparently one of no great importance, as its name is only slightly and occasionally mentioned by Cicero. But it is still noticed both by Pliny and Ptolemy, as well as at a later period by the Itineraries. Its destruction probably dates from the time of the Saracens.
Excavations have brought to light considerable remains of the ancient town, belonging entirely to the Roman period, and a good deal still remains unexplored. The traces of two ancient roads, paved with large blocks of stone, which led up to the city, may still be followed, and the whole summit of Monte Catalfano is covered with fragments of ancient walls and foundations of buildings. Among these may be traced the remains of two temples, of which some capitals and portions of friezes, have been discovered. An archaic oriental Artemis sitting between a lion and a panther, found here, is in the museum at Palermo, with other antiquities from this site. An inscription, erected by the citizens in honor of Fulvia Plautilla, the wife of Caracalla, was found there in 1857. With the exception of the winding road by which the town was approached on the south, the streets, despite the unevenness of the ground, which in places is so steep that steps have to be introduced, are laid out regularly, running from east to west and from north to south, and intersecting at right angles. They are as a rule paved with slabs of stone. The houses were constructed of rough walling, which was afterwards plastered over; the natural rock is often used for the lower part of the walls. One of the largest of them, with a peristyle, was in 1911, though wrongly, called the gymnasium. Near the top of the town are some cisterns cut in the rock, and at the summit is a larger house than usual, with mosaic pavements and paintings on its walls. Several sepulchres also have been found.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soluntum
Photo by Allie Caulfield from Germany.Joe Sermarini
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L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP [VIIII?] / P M TR P V COS II P P / Septimius Severus Fortuna denarius (197 AD) L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP [VIIII?], laureate head right / P M TR P V COS II P P, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder on globe in right hand, cornucopiae in left.
AR (post 196 mint, so probably 54% purity), 17 mm, 3.48g, die axis 12h.
Both small flan and image style (bust, wreath, shape of the rudder etc.) point towards the mint of Rome rather than the Eastern one. A bit heavier than expected (the standard supposed to be 3.41g), but WildWinds reports a 3.63g denarius of this type. Unfortunately it is impossible to read the number after IMP (it can be either VIIII or X for TR P V), but based on the spacing and, perhaps, a hint of V I think it is VIIII. So this must be RIC IV 104, BMCRE 229, RSC 442 type. Two other, less probable ID possibilities: RIC 115A (Rome, IMP X) and RIC 493 (Eastern mint, Laodicea ad Mare(?) IMP VIIII).
Lucius SEPTimius SEVeverus PERTinax AVGustus IMPerator (in this case not just an imperial title, but a military one, "invested with the Nth imperial acclaim", a victorious general, the number refers to important victories when the title was renewed); Pontifex Maximus (the high priest, starting with Augustus the emperor was always the head of state religion) TRibunitia Potestas (Tribunal power, the function of the tribune of the people, originally an important republican official, was "hijacked" by Augustus when he was building the imperial structure of power and subsequently became another emperor's title, renewed every year and thus very useful for dating coins) V (5th year means 193+4=197, give or take the actual date of renewing the title), COnSul (under the Empire, the office of Consul remained of some importance and was held by the Emperor with some frequency) II (during or after the consulship of 194 and before next one in 202), Pater Patriae (Father of his Country, the title was held by most Augusti but was usually not assumed at the very beginning of the reign). Denarius was the staple of Roman monetary system from 211 BC to mid 3d century AD.
SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS, *11 Apr 145 in Leptis Magna (Khoms, Libya) † 4 Feb 211 (aged 65) Eboracum (York, England) ‡ 14 April 193 – 4 February 211
Septimius Severus was born in the Roman province of Africa. He came from a wealthy and distinguished family of equestrian rank, had Roman ancestry on his mother's side (gens Fulvia was one of the most famous plebeian clans in Rome) and descended from Punic, and perhaps also Libyan, forebears on his father's side. Several members of his family held important imperial offices (although, strangely, not his father who seemed to have no career to speak about). He was trilingual, speaking Punic, Latin and Greek, and got some classical education, but probably less than he wanted to. At 17 he was helped by his influential relatives to relocate to Rome, to be presented to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and start his political career. With some difficulty he started to advance through the cursus honorum, holding a variety of offices. His career was helped by the Antonine Plague of 166, Septimius avoided it by returning to Leptis Magna for a while, and when he was back in Rome he found his competition conveniently thinned out. Despite him going through an impressive number of offices in a very short time there is very little record of his actual accomplishments in 170s and 180s.
In 191 Severus was appointed governor of Pannonia Superior (one of the provinces on Danube frontier) by Emperor Commodus (on advice from one of Septimius' friends). When the hell was unleashed by the assassination of Commodus on 31 December 192 and 193, , the infamous Year of the Five Emperors started, as a general in charge of significant army Severus was able to fight for the highest office. While he moved on Rome, Pertinax, the first Emperor of 193, was killed by the Praetorian Guard, and the next one, Didius Julianus, who famously bought the emperorship at an auction, was condemned by the Senate and executed, so Septimius entered Rome virtually unopposed. He then wisely appeased the powerful governor of Britannia, Clodius Albinus, who was also proclaimed the Emperor, by offering him the title of Caesar, which implied some degree of co-ruling and a chance to succession (Albinus did not give up that easy, reasserting his claim in three years, but then he was easily dealt with at the Battle of Lugdunum in Gaul). Afterwards he had to fight off the final pretender, Pescennius Niger, the former governor of Syria, who was proclaimed the Emperor by the eastern legions. Losing no time, Severus sent a considerable vanguard force to the East and, later, joined in with additional armies. In a series of battles in 193-195 Niger and his supporters were defeated. The last to surrender was Byzantium, which held even after the head of Niger was sent there. It is interesting to note that during this campaign Septimius visited the tomb of his famous fellow countryman, Hannibal Barca in Libyssa (Gebze, Turkey) and ordered to cover it with fine marble. Severus also took an opportunity to wage a short punitive campaign beyond the eastern frontier, annexing the Kingdom of Osroene as a new province.
After consolidating his rule over the western provinces, Severus waged another brief, more successful war in the east against the Parthian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 197 and expanding the eastern frontier to the Tigris. He then enlarged and fortified the Limes Arabicus in Arabia Petraea. In 202 he campaigned in Africa and Mauretania against the Garamantes; capturing their capital Garama and expanding the Limes Tripolitanus along the southern desert frontier of the empire. In 208 he travelled to Britain, strengthening Hadrian's Wall and reoccupying the Antonine Wall. In the same year he invaded Caledonia (modern Scotland), but his ambitions were cut short when he fell fatally ill in late 210, dying in early 211 at Eboracum (York, England), and was succeeded by his sons Caracalla and Geta, thus founding the Severan dynasty. It was the last dynasty of the Roman empire before the Crisis of the Third Century.
In the context of this coin it is interesting to note, that, due to huge military expenses, upon his accession Severus decreased the silver purity of the denarius from 81.5% to 78.5%, although the silver weight actually increased, rising from 2.40 grams to 2.46 grams. Nevertheless, the following year he debased the denarius again because of rising military expenditures. The silver purity decreased from 78.5% to 64.5% – the silver weight dropping from 2.46 grams to 1.98 grams. In 196 he reduced the purity and silver weight of the denarius again, to 54% and 1.82 grams respectively [corresponds to this issue]. Severus' currency debasement was the largest since the reign of Nero.Yurii P
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M. Calidius, Q. Caecilius Metellus, Cn. Fulvius - AR denariusRome
²117 BC / ¹117-116 BC
head of Roma right wearing winged helmet
ROMA
(XVI)
Victory in biga right holding wreath and reins
C(N F)O(VL)
M·C(AL)·Q·(MET)
¹Crawford 284/1b, RSC I Fulvia 1, Sydenham 539a, SRCV I 160
²Mark Passehl - Roman moneyer & coin type chronology, 150 – 50 BC
3,9g 18mm
Joint coinage of three monetals. M. Calidius may be the father of Q. Calidius, praetor 79 BC. If Q·MET really represents Q. Caecilius Metellus, it could be Q. Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, consul 109 BC, or Q. Caecilius Metellus Nepos, consul 98 BC. Nothing more is known about Cn. Fulvius.J. B.
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Marc Antony, AR quinarius, 42 BC - Fulvia (wife of Marc Antony) / lionObverse: M VIR R P Cwinged bust of Victory right with features of Fulvia
Reverse: lion wlking right, XLI across fields, ANTONI above, IMP in exergue
10 mm, 1.51 gramsAntonivs Protti
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Mark Antony Legionary Denarius LEG III ANT AVG III VIR R P C
galley r. mast with banners at prow
LEG III
legionary eagle between two standards
Patrae mint 32-31BC
SOLD
Legio III Gallica was levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey.
The legion took part in all Julius Caesar's campaigns against his enemies, including the battles of Pharsalus and Munda. Following Caesar's death, III Gallica was integrated in the army of Mark Antony for his campaigns against the Parthians. They were included in the army levied by Fulvia and Lucius Antonius (Antony's wife and brother) to oppose Octavian, but ended by surrendering in Perugia, in the winter of 41 BC. After the battle of Actium and Antony's suicide, the III Gallica was sent again to the East, where they garrisoned the province of Syria.
III Gallica was used in Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo's campaign against the Parthians over the control of Armenia (63). Corbulo's successes triggered emperor Nero's paranoia of persecution and eventually the general was forced to commit suicide. After this, III Gallica is transferred to Moesia province, in the Danube border.Jay GT4
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Mark Antony Legionary Denarius LEG III ANT AVG III VIR R P C
galley r. mast with banners at prow
LEG III
legionary eagle between two standards
Patrae mint 32-31BC
3.61g
Legio III Gallica was levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey.
The legion took part in all Julius Caesar's campaigns against his enemies, including the battles of Pharsalus and Munda. Following Caesar's death, III Gallica was integrated in the army of Mark Antony for his campaigns against the Parthians. They were included in the army levied by Fulvia and Lucius Antonius (Antony's wife and brother) to oppose Octavian, but ended by surrendering in Perugia, in the winter of 41 BC. After the battle of Actium and Antony's suicide, the III Gallica was sent again to the East, where they garrisoned the province of Syria.
III Gallica was used in Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo's campaign against the Parthians over the control of Armenia (63). Corbulo's successes triggered emperor Nero's paranoia of persecution and eventually the general was forced to commit suicide. After this, III Gallica is transferred to Moesia province, in the Danube border.Jay GT4
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Phrygia, Eumeneia (Fulviana), Fulvia BMC Phrygia 21Fulvia, wife of Marcus Antonius, c. 41-40 BC
AE 20, 7.43g
struck under magistrate Zmertorix, son of Philonidas
obv. Head of Fulvia as winged Nike, draped, with chignon, r.
rev. Athena, in chiton and peplos, helmeted, advancing l., holding spear and round
shield
FOVLOVIANWN / ZMERTORIGOC / FILWNIDOV
RPC I 3139; BMC Phrygia 21
rare, good F
Fulvia was the first real woman depicted on a coin!
Fulvia was first married to P. Clodius, the Roman firebrand. After his violent death in 52 BC she married C. Scribonius Curio, who likewise met an untimely end in Africa. She married Mark Antony in 44 BC, and became an outspoken defender of his interests in Rome while he campaigned in the east (and enjoyed the attentions of Cleopatra). The city of Eumenia was re-named Fulviana in her honor by Antony's partisans. By 40 BC Fulvia's strident attacks on Octavian had provoked a reaction, and she had to flee first to southern Italy and then to Greece. She met Antony at Athens, where he upbraided her for antagonizing Octavian when he was trying to maintain a semblance of cordial relations. Fulvia died at Sicyon shortly thereafter. Sometime afterward these coins struck at "Fulviana" had their ethnic scratched off.Jochen
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Phrygia, Eumeneia, Nero, SNG Copenhagen 394 #1Nero AD 54-69
AE 20, 4.60g
struck under Nero as Caesar AD 50-54
obv. SEBASTOS - NERWN
Bust, draped, bare-headed, r.
rev. (from r. to l., each from top to bottom)
EVMENEWN / IOVLIOS / KL - EWN / ARXIEREVS ASIAS
Apollo, nude, chlamys over l. arm, stg. l., holding raven in outstretched r. hand and double-axe in l. arm
RPC 3149 (28 ex. listed); SNG Copenhagen 394; SNG von Aulock 3591; SNG München 207; BMC 41
rare, VF, nice for the type
Eumeneia was named Fulvia BC 41/40 to honour the eastern activities of Marcus Antonius whose wife was Fulvia.
Julius Kleon, mentioned on the rev., had the title ARXIEREVC THC ACIAC, meaning 'Highpriest of Asia'. His wife, Bassa Kleonos, was Highpriest, Archiera, too. She too was mentioned on coins, struck for Agrippina jun., mother of Nero. This feature is known only for Archierontes: Both spouses were Archierontes und for both were struck coins. The function of the Archiereus was closely related to the Imperial Cult.
For more information to the double-axe look at the thread 'Mythological interesting coins'.Jochen
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Phrygia, Eumeneia, Nero, SNG Copenhagen 394 #2Nero AD 54-69
AE 18, 3.55g
struck under Nero as Caesar AD 50-54
obv. SEBASTOS - NERWN
Bust, draped, bare-headed, r.
rev. (from r. to l., each from top to bottom)
EVMENEWN / IOVLIOS / KL - EWN / ARXIEREVS ASIAS
Apollo, nude, chlamys over l. arm, stg. l., holding raven in outstretched r. hand and double-axe in l. arm
RPC 3149 (28 ex. listed); SNG Copenhagen 394; SNG von Aulock 3591; SNG München 207; BMC 41
rare, VF, nice golden bronze colour
Eumeneia was named Fulvia BC 41/40 to honour the eastern activities of Marcus Antonius whose wife was Fulvia.
Jochen
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Pulbia Fulvia Plautilla wife Caracallaaw. PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA
Bust of Plautilla, hair firmly waved and drawn down on neck, draped, right
rew. VENVS VICTRIX
Venus, naked to waist, standing left, holding apple in extended right hand and palm in left hand, resting left elbow on shield; at feet, left, Cupid
RIC IV Caracalla 369 (denarius)
data A.D. 202 - A.D. 205 nomina-łDenar, mennica-Rzym
Pulbia Fulvia Plautilla ur. 188- zm. 212 AD
cesarzowa 202-205 ADWaldemar S
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ROMAN EMPIRE PROVINCIAL, Hispania, CastuloObv: VOC ST F CN
Laureate male head, right.
Rev: CN FVL CNF (note: NF ligate)
Bull right, crescent above. KASTILO in Iberic script within exergue.
8.8 gm 23.7 mm 160-140 BC: Villaronga 15; Vives LXXXI, 2.
Comment: Reverse legend expands to CN(AEUS) FV(LVIVS) CN(AEII) F(ILIVS) translating to Gnaeus Fulvius, son of Gnaeus. The name of the provincial mint magistrate belonging to the Gens Fulvia.
Scarce and very rarely found in VF condition.
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RRC291/1 (Mn. Aemilius Lepidus) Obv. Laureate, diademed head of Roma right, ROMA before, MA in ligate; mark of value behind
Rev. MN AE[M]ILIO, ligature on praenomen. Equestrian statue on arches, LEP between;
17 mm, 3.77 grams
Rome, 114-113 B.C.
Refs.: RRC 291/1, RSC Aemilia 7
Allusions: The head of Roma is not unusual, but the reverse is subject to some debate. Several propositions have been put forward: (1) A triumphal arch to a Mn. Aemilius Lepidus (the prateor of 213 B.C. or his son, consul of 158 B.C.). (2) the pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge in Rome, now Ponte Rotto, which connected the Cattle Market with the Transtiberim since the mid-3rd century. It may be then that a Mn. Aemilius had the original bridge built. Its stone form goes back to 179 B.C. under the auspices of the censors M.Aemilius Lepidus and M. Fulvius Nobilior. (3) The Aqua Marcia, formerly Aqua Aemilia Fulvia (Pliny 31.24 with emendation) and led over the Pons Aemilius. A similar coin issued by the Marcia family in 56 BC exists (Marcia 28, Syd. 919). The Marcii may have tried to counter the Aemilian claim to the aqueduct. In fact, the censors Aemilius and Fulvius had begun building the aqueduct, but never completed it, since M. Licinius Crassus refused to let it be built over his ground (Livy 40.51.7).
The moneyer: Unclear. He may have been the son of the consul of 126 B.C., and father of Mn. Aemilius Mn. f. Lepidus, the consul of 66 B.C. (Crawford);Syltorian
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[1004a] Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC 2, gF, Rome, 2.662g, 17.2mm, 0o; type from his first issue as Caesar., 196 A.D. Obverse: M AVR ANTONINVS CAES, boy's bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right; Reverse: SECVRITAS PERPETVA (Security Everlasting), Minerva with aegis on breast, standing left, holding spear in left and resting right on shield on the ground; well centered on a tight flan; scarce. Ex FORVM.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla)
Michael L. Meckler,
Ohio State University
Caracalla was born 4 April 188 in Lyon, where his father was serving as governor of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis under the emperor Commodus. The child's name originally seems to have been Lucius Septimius Bassianus, the cognomen commemorating the family of the boy's Syrian mother, Julia Domna. When he was seven years old, his name was changed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. The name change was a way of connecting the family of Severus to that of the Antonines. Caracalla was a nickname taken from the name of a type of cloak popularized by the emperor, but this nickname, originally derisive, was never used officially.
From the time of his name change to Antoninus, Caracalla was the designated heir of Severus. Less than three years later he was proclaimed emperor, officially joining his father as co-rulers of the empire. At the age of 14 he was married to the daughter of the praetorian prefect Plautianus Publia Fulvia, Plautilla, but the teenager despised his wife. The marriage ended less than three years later after the execution of Plautianus for treason, and there were no children.
Squabbling and rivalry developed between Caracalla and Geta, who was only 11 months younger than his brother. Severus felt the lack of responsibilities in Rome contributed to the ill-will between his sons and decided that the family would travel to Britain to oversee military operations there. Caracalla was involved in directing the army's campaigns, while Geta was given civilian authority and a promotion to joint emperor with his father and brother. Within two years of the imperial family's arrival in Britain, Severus' health began to deteriorate, but his sons' relationship showed no signs of improvement. Severus died 4 February 211. Caracalla was 22 years old, Geta 21.
The brothers returned to Rome as joint emperors, but they eyed each other with suspicion and failed to cooperate on government appointments and policy decisions. Caracalla was being advised to have Geta murdered, and after at least one unsuccessful attempt, Geta was killed in late December 211. The murder led to a wholesale slaughter of Geta's supporters and sympathizers, and soldiers were allowed to wreak havoc on the residents of Rome. The looting and bloodshed lasted for at least two weeks, and one contemporary source claims 20,000 people were killed.
The year 212 saw a flurry of administrative reforms under the young emperor's leadership. Soldiers received increases in pay and in legal rights, but the most noteworthy change was the bestowal of Roman citizenship upon all free residents of the empire. This grant of universal citizenship, called by scholars the Constitutio Antoniniana, allowed for greater standardization in the increasingly bureaucratic Roman state. Construction was also well underway on the magnificant baths in Rome that would bear the emperor's name. The main building seems to have been completed four years later, but the entire complex was not finished until the reign of Alexander Severus.
Caracalla spent little time in Rome after the spring of 213. A visit to Gaul and a military campaign along the borders of Upper Germany and Raetia occupied much of the rest of the year. Winter may have been spent in Rome, but the following year Caracalla made a journey to the East in preparation for a war against the Parthians. Along the way, the emperor displayed an increasing fascination and identification with Alexander the Great. Like the Macedonian prince, however, Caracalla would not survive an expedition to the East. Only his ashes would return to Rome.
Civil war in the Parthian realm between brothers and rival kings Vologaeses VI and Artabanus V brought instability to the entire region, and Caracalla wished to take advantage of that instability to increase Roman control. Osroene was annexed in 213, but an attempt in the same year to take over Armenia backfired. Caracalla's campaigns in the East seemed designed to harass the Parthians more than anything else. In 215, Caracalla suspended plans to invade Parthia after Vologaeses handed over two political refugees, although Roman troops were sent into Armenia. The following year the emperor led his troops into Mesopotamia after being rebuffed in his request to marry the daughter of Artabanus. Roman armies were generally unopposed in their forays, the Parthian forces having retreated farther east. The Romans returned back across the Euphrates, wintering in Edessa.
Between campaigning seasons, Caracalla made a notorious visit to Alexandria in the fall and winter of 215-16. Rioting accompanied the imperial visit, and retribution was swift. The governor of Egypt was executed as were thousands of the city's young men. Alexandria was cordoned off into zones to prevent the free movement of residents, and games and privileges were revoked.
The emperor visited Alexandria for intellectual and religious reasons, staying at The Serapeum and being present at the temple's sacrifices and cultural events. Earlier, during the German war, the emperor visited the shrine of the Celtic healing-god Grannus. Caracalla also visited the famous temple of Asclepius in Pergamum and fully participated in its program, which involved sleeping inside the temple compound and having his dreams interpreted.
It was this religious devotion that led to Caracalla's murder in 217. Although suspicious of the praetorian prefect Macrinus, Caracalla allowed himself to be accompanied by only a small, select corps of bodyguards on an early spring trip from the camp at Edessa to the temple of the moon-god at Carrhae, about 25 miles away. During the journey back on 8 April 217, Caracalla was killed. The returning guards claimed the emperor was ambushed while defecating, and that the alleged assassin was one of their own, a soldier named Martialis. Martialis was himself killed by the avenging guards, or so the story went. Suspicion was strong that Macrinus arranged the entire affair.
Caracalla's violent end seemed appropriate for an emperor who, early in his reign, had his own brother killed. Yet the moralizing about fratricide by both ancient and modern historians obscures the energetic, reformist and even intellectual character of Caracalla's reign. Some of the reforms, especially the pay raise for soldiers, would prove burdensome for future emperors, but the changes brought about in the little more than five years of Caracalla's sole rule would have long-lasting implications throughout the empire for generations to come.
Copyright (C) 1998, Michael L. Meckler. Published on De Imperatoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors; http://www.roman-emperors.org/sepsev.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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[1004b] Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC 108, RSC 510, VF, 2.967g, 19.2mm, 180o, Rome mint, 208 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right; reverse PROF PONTIF TR P XI COS III, Emperor on horseback right, captive at feet; scarce. Ex FORVM.
This coin refers to the departure of Caracalla, Septimius, and Geta on their British expedition. Our dating of this departure to the year 208 depends on these coins dated TR P XI for Caracalla and TR P XVI for Septimius (Joseph Sermarini).
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla)
Michael L. Meckler,
Ohio State University
Caracalla was born 4 April 188 in Lyon, where his father was serving as governor of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis under the emperor Commodus. The child's name originally seems to have been Lucius Septimius Bassianus, the cognomen commemorating the family of the boy's Syrian mother, Julia Domna. When he was seven years old, his name was changed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. The name change was a way of connecting the family of Severus to that of the Antonines. Caracalla was a nickname taken from the name of a type of cloak popularized by the emperor, but this nickname, originally derisive, was never used officially.
From the time of his name change to Antoninus, Caracalla was the designated heir of Severus. Less than three years later he was proclaimed emperor, officially joining his father as co-rulers of the empire. At the age of 14 he was married to the daughter of the praetorian prefect Plautianus Publia Fulvia, Plautilla, but the teenager despised his wife. The marriage ended less than three years later after the execution of Plautianus for treason, and there were no children.
Squabbling and rivalry developed between Caracalla and Geta, who was only 11 months younger than his brother. Severus felt the lack of responsibilities in Rome contributed to the ill-will between his sons and decided that the family would travel to Britain to oversee military operations there. Caracalla was involved in directing the army's campaigns, while Geta was given civilian authority and a promotion to joint emperor with his father and brother. Within two years of the imperial family's arrival in Britain, Severus' health began to deteriorate, but his sons' relationship showed no signs of improvement. Severus died 4 February 211. Caracalla was 22 years old, Geta 21.
The brothers returned to Rome as joint emperors, but they eyed each other with suspicion and failed to cooperate on government appointments and policy decisions. Caracalla was being advised to have Geta murdered, and after at least one unsuccessful attempt, Geta was killed in late December 211. The murder led to a wholesale slaughter of Geta's supporters and sympathizers, and soldiers were allowed to wreak havoc on the residents of Rome. The looting and bloodshed lasted for at least two weeks, and one contemporary source claims 20,000 people were killed.
The year 212 saw a flurry of administrative reforms under the young emperor's leadership. Soldiers received increases in pay and in legal rights, but the most noteworthy change was the bestowal of Roman citizenship upon all free residents of the empire. This grant of universal citizenship, called by scholars the Constitutio Antoniniana, allowed for greater standardization in the increasingly bureaucratic Roman state. Construction was also well underway on the magnificant baths in Rome that would bear the emperor's name. The main building seems to have been completed four years later, but the entire complex was not finished until the reign of Alexander Severus.
Caracalla spent little time in Rome after the spring of 213. A visit to Gaul and a military campaign along the borders of Upper Germany and Raetia occupied much of the rest of the year. Winter may have been spent in Rome, but the following year Caracalla made a journey to the East in preparation for a war against the Parthians. Along the way, the emperor displayed an increasing fascination and identification with Alexander the Great. Like the Macedonian prince, however, Caracalla would not survive an expedition to the East. Only his ashes would return to Rome.
Civil war in the Parthian realm between brothers and rival kings Vologaeses VI and Artabanus V brought instability to the entire region, and Caracalla wished to take advantage of that instability to increase Roman control. Osroene was annexed in 213, but an attempt in the same year to take over Armenia backfired. Caracalla's campaigns in the East seemed designed to harass the Parthians more than anything else. In 215, Caracalla suspended plans to invade Parthia after Vologaeses handed over two political refugees, although Roman troops were sent into Armenia. The following year the emperor led his troops into Mesopotamia after being rebuffed in his request to marry the daughter of Artabanus. Roman armies were generally unopposed in their forays, the Parthian forces having retreated farther east. The Romans returned back across the Euphrates, wintering in Edessa.
Between campaigning seasons, Caracalla made a notorious visit to Alexandria in the fall and winter of 215-16. Rioting accompanied the imperial visit, and retribution was swift. The governor of Egypt was executed as were thousands of the city's young men. Alexandria was cordoned off into zones to prevent the free movement of residents, and games and privileges were revoked.
The emperor visited Alexandria for intellectual and religious reasons, staying at The Serapeum and being present at the temple's sacrifices and cultural events. Earlier, during the German war, the emperor visited the shrine of the Celtic healing-god Grannus. Caracalla also visited the famous temple of Asclepius in Pergamum and fully participated in its program, which involved sleeping inside the temple compound and having his dreams interpreted.
It was this religious devotion that led to Caracalla's murder in 217. Although suspicious of the praetorian prefect Macrinus, Caracalla allowed himself to be accompanied by only a small, select corps of bodyguards on an early spring trip from the camp at Edessa to the temple of the moon-god at Carrhae, about 25 miles away. During the journey back on 8 April 217, Caracalla was killed. The returning guards claimed the emperor was ambushed while defecating, and that the alleged assassin was one of their own, a soldier named Martialis. Martialis was himself killed by the avenging guards, or so the story went. Suspicion was strong that Macrinus arranged the entire affair.
Caracalla's violent end seemed appropriate for an emperor who, early in his reign, had his own brother killed. Yet the moralizing about fratricide by both ancient and modern historians obscures the energetic, reformist and even intellectual character of Caracalla's reign. Some of the reforms, especially the pay raise for soldiers, would prove burdensome for future emperors, but the changes brought about in the little more than five years of Caracalla's sole rule would have long-lasting implications throughout the empire for generations to come.
Copyright (C) 1998, Michael L. Meckler. Published on De Imperatoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors; http://www.roman-emperors.org/sepsev.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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