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Image search results - "Orbiana"
orbiana_den.jpg
001 Orbiana denarius duplicateSALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae.
RSC 1,BMC 287-290
3.023 g, 6h
1 commentsmix_val
orb_den_red.jpg
001 Orbiana DenariusSALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae.
RSC 1,BMC 287-290
3.191 g, 6h.
mix_val
orb_den_ae_red.jpg
001 Orbiana denarius but aeSALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae.
Unlisted as AE
2.118 g, 1300h

mix_val
Sestertius_concord_seated_.jpg
004 Orbiana SestertiusSAL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM S-C, Concord seated left holding patera and double cornucopiae.
RIC 655, Cohen 4; BMC 293-6
26.368 g, 12h
mix_val
Sestertius_concord_seated_2.jpg
004 Orbiana Sestertius duplicateSAL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM S-C, Concord seated left holding patera and double cornucopiae.
RIC 655, Cohen 4; BMC 293-6
23.705 g, 12h
1 commentsmix_val
orbiana_As.jpg
005 Orbiana As SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S-C in ex, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae
9.654 g, 6h
Cohen 5, BMC 297-8.
mix_val
image_2.jpg
005a Orbiana As dupSALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S-C in ex, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae.
Cohen 5, BMC 297-8.
weight, 10.15g; die axis, 6h
Some copper is showing through the patina but the coin is of very good style
mix_val
Sestertius_alex_and_orbiana.jpg
006 Orbiana Sestertius SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue, Severus Alexander standing right, holding role & clasping hands with Orbiana, veiled, standing left.
Cohen 6, BMC 299-301
16.865 g, 12h
1 commentsmix_val
Sestertius_alex_and_orbitana_balk.jpg
006 Orbiana Sestertius SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue, Severus Alexander standing right, holding role & clasping hands with Orbiana, veiled, standing left.
Cohen 6, BMC 299-301
19.445 g, 12h
1 commentsmix_val
orbianaric319.jpg
031. Orbiana, 225-227. AR Denarius. Rome mint.Sallustia Barbia Orbiana 225-227. AR Denarius. Rome mint. 2.83g.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and cornucopiae.
RIC 319
7 commentsLordBest
orbiana~0.jpg
031c. OrbianaDenarius. Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right. Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae. RIC 319, RSC 1.lawrence c
normal_orbiana_0.jpg
031c. OrbianaWife of Severus Alexander. Married in 225. His mother Julia Mamea apparently viewed her as a potential threat and she forced a divorce and exile for Orbiana in 227.

Coin: Denarius. Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed & draped bust right. Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae. RIC 319, RSC 1.
lawrence c
Personajes_Imperiales_5.jpg
05 - Personalities of the EmpireDiadumenian, Elagabalus, Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias, Aquilia Severa, Annia Faustina, Severus Alexander, Julia Mamaea, Orbiana, Maximinus I, Paulina, Maximus and Gordian Imdelvalle
Personajes_Imperiales_5~0.jpg
05 - Personalities of the EmpireDiadumenian, Elagabalus, Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias, Aquilia Severa, Annia Faustina, Severus Alexander, Julia Mamaea, Orbiana, Maximinus I, Paulina, Maximus and Gordian I1 commentsmdelvalle
60a.jpg
060a Orbiana. AR denariusobv: SALL BARBIA_ORBIANA AVG dia. and drp. bust r.
rev: CONCORDI_A AVGG Concordia seated l. holding patera and double cournucopiae
"Wife of Severus Alexander"
1 commentshill132
60b.jpg
060b Orbiana. AR denariusobv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG dia. and drp. bust r.
rev: CONCORDI_A AVGG corncordia seated l. holding patera and double cornucopiae
2 commentshill132
063_Orbiana,_(225-227_AD),_RIC_319v_,_Limes_Denarius,_SALL_BARBIA_ORBIANA_AVG,_CONCORDIA_AVGG,_RSC_1v_,_BMC_287v_,_225-226_AD,_Q-001,_6h,_18-19,5mm,_2,66g-s.jpg
063 Orbiana ( 225-227 A.D. Augusta), RIC IV-II 319v.(base metal!), Rome, "Limes" Denarius, CONCORDIA AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, #1063 Orbiana ( 225-227 A.D. Augusta), RIC IV-II 319v.(base metal!), Rome, "Limes" Denarius, CONCORDIA AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, #1
Wife of Severus Alexander.
avers: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, Diademed and draped bust right.
reverse: CONCORDI A AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera and single(!) cornucopiae.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 18,0-19,5mm, weight: 2,66g, axis: 6h,
mint: Rome, date: 225-226 A.D., ref: RIC IV-II 319v.(single cornucopiae!, base metal!), RSC 1v., BMC 287v., Sear 8191v.
Q-001
quadrans
063_Orbiana,_(225-227_AD),_RIC_319v_,_Limes_Denarius,_SALL_BARBIA_ORBIANA_AVG,_CONCORDIA_AVGG,_RSC_1v_,_BMC_287v_,_225-226_AD,_Q-001,_6h,_18-19,5mm,_2,66g-s~0.jpg
063 Orbiana ( 225-227 A.D. Augusta), RIC IV-II 319v.(base metal!), Rome, "Limes" Denarius, CONCORDIA AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, #1063 Orbiana ( 225-227 A.D. Augusta), RIC IV-II 319v.(base metal!), Rome, "Limes" Denarius, CONCORDIA AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, #1
Wife of Severus Alexander.
avers: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, Diademed and draped bust right.
reverse: CONCORDI A AVG G, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera and single(!) cornucopiae.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 18,0-19,5mm, weight: 2,66g, axis: 6h,
mint: Rome, date: 225-226 A.D., ref: RIC IV-II 319v.(single cornucopiae!, base metal!), RSC 1v., BMC 287v., Sear 8191v.
Q-001
quadrans
Orbiana_1_portrait.jpg
101 - ORBIANAGnaea Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana was Roman empress and wife of Severus Alexander from AD 225 to 227. Orbiana was divorced and exiled to Libya in 227.

for obverse, reverse and coin details click here
shanxi
OrbianaAnyConc.jpg
1cf OrbianaDenarius

Draped bust, right, SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG
Concord std, CONCORDIA AVGG

RIC 319

Orbiana married Severus Alexander about 235, but her mother-in-law convinced him to banish her to Africa. Herodian recorded: Mamaea secured for Alexander a wife from the aristocracy. Although he loved the girl and lived with her, she was afterward banished from the palace by his mother, who, in her egotistic desire to be sole empress, envied the girl her title. So excessively arrogant did Mamaea become that the girl's father, though Alexander esteemed him highly, could no longer endure the woman's insolence toward him and his daughter; consequently, he took refuge in the praetorian camp, fully aware of the debt of gratitude he owed Alexander for the honors he had received from him, but complaining bitterly about Mamaea's insults. Enraged, Mamaea ordered him to be killed and at the same time drove the girl from the palace to exile in Libya. She did this against Alexander's wishes and in spite of his displeasure, but the emperor was dominated by his mother and obeyed her every command.
Blindado
107182.jpg
205b. ORBIANAGneaea Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana is best known as the wife of Severus Alexander. Possible one of three wives that he had. Little is known of Orbiana. She was from a distinguished family, the daughter of Senator Seius Sallustius Varius Marcinus. She was married to Severus Alexander around 225 when he was about 16. She must have initially met with the favor of Severus Alexander's mother Mamaea but this didn't last long. Orbiana had too much influence with Severus Alexander and this led to direct confrontation with Mamaea. Whether real or not, a plot was found to be led by Orbiana's father to turn the praetorian guards against Severus Alexander and put himself in power. The marriage between Severus Alexander and Orbiana was dissolved at Mamaea's insistence in 227 AD. Shortly later, Sallustius was executed and Orbiana was banished to North Africa.

ORBIANA, wife of Severus Alexander. Augusta, 225 AD. AR Denarius (19mm, 2.83 gm). Diademed and draped bust right / Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae. RIC IV 319; RSC 1. VF

1 commentsecoli
RJB_2016_12_12.jpg
222aOrbiana
Denarius
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG
Diademed draped bust right
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG
Concordia seated left holding patera and cornucopia
Rome mint
RIC 319
mauseus
orbiana denar-.jpg
225 AD - ORBIANA denariusobv: SALL.BARBIA.ORBIANA (diademed & draped bust right)
rev: CONCORDIA.AVGG (Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae)
ref: RIC319(SevAlex)(S), C.1(20fr.)
2.37gms, rare
Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta was the wife of Severus Alexander who was banished on the whims of Julia Mamaea, who's control of her son she felt was threatened. In 227 on the charge of attempted murder of the emperor, Orbiana was sent in exile to Libya.
berserker
RIC_319_Denario_ORBIANA.jpg
62-02 - ORBIANA (Augusta 225 - 227 D.C.)AR denario
19 mm 3.69 gr 7 hs.

Gnea Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana, esposa de Alejandro Severo y Augusta desde 225 a 227 D.C.

Anv: "SALL BARBIA ORBIANA", Busto vestido y con diadema viendo a derecha.
Rev: "CONCORD[IA] AVGG", Concordia sentada en trono a izquierda, portando pátera en su mano derecha y doble cornucopia en izquierda.

Acuñación: Emisión especial por su casamiento en 225 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC IVb #319 Pag.96, Pl.5 #1 - Cohen IV #1 Pag.486 - Sear RCTV II #8191 Pag.675 - RSC III #1 - BMCRE #287 ss Pag.142
mdelvalle
Orbiana-RIC-319.jpg
75. Orbiana denarius.Denarius, ca 225 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Diademed bust of Orbiana.
Reverse: CONCORDIA AVGG / Concordia seated, holding patera and double cornucopiae.
4.10 gm., 18.5 mm.
RIC #319; Sear #8191.
2 commentsCallimachus
Orbiana-RIC-655.jpg
76. Orbiana sestertius.Sestertius, ca 225 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Diademed bust of Orbiana.
Reverse: CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM / Concordia seated, holding patera and double cornucopiae. SC in exergue.
24.79 gm., 33 mm.
RIC #655; Sear #8193.
Callimachus
Orbiana_R630_Hierocaesarea_fac.jpg
Asia Minor, Lydia, Hierocaesarea, Orbiana, Artemis driving BigaLydia. Hierocaesaraea
Orbiana
Bronze, AE 29
Obv.: ΓN CЄ CЄP BAP OPBIAN CЄB, Draped bust right, wearing stephane.
Rev: IЄPOKAICAPЄΩN, Artemis driving biga of stags right.
Æ, 29mm, 9.87g
Ref.: RPC VI, 4254 (temporary)
shanxi
1280.jpg
ORBIANAAE Sestertius. 17.28 gm, 12h. Struck 225 AD. Diademed and draped bust right. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in extended right hand and cradling double cornucopiae in left arm. CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue. RIC IV 655 (Severus Alexander); Banti 1; BMCRE 293 (Severus Alexander); Cohen 4.
Triton VIII, Lot: 1056 . From the Michael Weller Collection. Ex Leo Benz Collection (Lanz 100, 20 November 2000), lot 199; George Bauer Collection (Glendining, 23 January 1963), lot 1378; M. L. Vierordt Collection (J. Schulman, 5 March 1923), lot 2068 ; H. C. Hoskier Collection (J. Hirsch XX, 13 November 1907).
4 commentsbenito
00orbiana~0.jpg
ORBIANAAE Sestertius. 17.28 gm, 12h. Struck 225 AD. Diademed and draped bust right. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in extended right hand and cradling double cornucopiae in left arm. CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue. RIC IV 655 (Severus Alexander); Banti 1; BMCRE 293 (Severus Alexander); Cohen 4.

Triton VIII, Lot: 1056 . From the Michael Weller Collection. Ex Leo Benz Collection (Lanz 100, 20 November 2000), lot 199; George Bauer Collection (Glendining, 23 January 1963), lot 1378; M. L. Vierordt Collection (J. Schulman, 5 March 1923), lot 2068 ; H. C. Hoskier Collection (J. Hirsch XX, 13 November 1907).
5 commentsbenito
Orbiana18_27g.jpeg
OrbianaOrbiana, AE sestertius (18.27g). AD 225-227. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right / CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM S-C, Concord seated left holding patera and double cornucopiae. RIC 655, Cohen 4, Sear 8193, BMC 293.1 commentsMolinari
Orbiana.png
ORBIANAOrbiana, Augusta, 225 AC

Ceca: Roma
Diametro: 18 mm
Peso: 2.79 g

RIC 319 Escasa Very fine.

RSC 1, BMCRE 287-9 (Alexander).

Anverso: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVGG Diademed and draped bust of Orbiana to right.
Reverso: CONCORDIA AVGG Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in her right hand and double cornucopia with her left.

Ex-Nomos 7- 2017
1 commentsJose Vicente A
orb.jpg
Orbiana (225 - 227 A.D.)AR Denarius
O: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, draped bust right.
R: CONCORDIA AVGG,Concordia seated left holding double cornucopia and patera.
Rome
19mm
3.8g
RIC IV 319, RSC III 1, BMCRE VI 287, SRCV II 8191

Ex. Civitas Galleries
6 commentsMat
orbiana.jpg
Orbiana (225-227 AD) AR DenariusRoman Imperial, Orbiana (225-227 AD) AR Denarius, 2.4g, 17.0mm

Obverse: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, Diademed & draped bust right

Reverse: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera & double cornucopiae.

Reference: RIC 319 var, RSC 1.

Ex: Holding History +photo
Gil-galad
FADDCE16-030B-4F41-A346-10B6846216ED.jpeg
Orbiana (225-227)AR Denarius
18.55 mm 2.88 gr.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed draped bust right
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left holding patera and two cornucopiae
Mint: Rome (225-227)
RSC III 1; ERIC II 2
Ken W2
4613409B-DA24-47AB-A014-70991F9CE097.jpeg
Orbiana (225-227)AR Denarius
19.58 mm [ gr.]
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed draped bust right
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left holding patera and two cornucopiae
Mint: Rome (225-227)
RSC III 1; ERIC II 2
Ken W2
Orbiana.png
Orbiana - RIC-319 (Alexander)Orbiana. Augusta, AD 225-227. AR Denarius (19mm, 2.39 g, 11h). Rome mint. Special marriage emission under Severus Alexander, AD 225. Draped bust right, wearing stephane / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera and double cornucopia. RIC IV 319 (Alexander); BMCRE 287 (Alexander); RSC 1; RSCV 8191Bud Stewart
2249_Orbiana_Stectorium.jpg
Orbiana - Stectoriumlate 225 - VIII 227 AD
diademed and draped bust
EΡ ϹΑΛ ΟΡΒΙΑ ϹE_ΒΑϹΤΗ
Artemis facing, head turned left, holding bow and placing hand on the antlers of a stag left
CΤEΚΤ_ΟΡ_(ΗΝ)ΩΝ
RPC VI, 5684 (temporary); BMC 13
13,1g 29mm
ex Art & Coins
J. B.
33392D75-7792-4307-B22D-C567E395500B.jpeg
Orbiana 225-227)AR Denarius
19.09 mm 3.10 gr.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed draped bust right
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left holding patera and two cornucopiae
Mint: Rome (225-227)
RSC III 1; ERIC II 2
Ken W2
Orbiana_Concordia_Aug_(la_mienne)_320.jpg
Orbiana Concordia Aug RIC 319
Orbiana~0.jpg
Orbiana Denarius RIC IVb 319Orbiana AR Denarius

2.63g, 18.6mm, 0 degrees, Rome Mint, 225-227 CE.

Attribution: RIC IVb 319. Cohen 1.

O: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, horned and draped bust right.

R: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and cornucopia, crescent over right shoulder.

This is the only known Orbiana denarius type, though Mouchmov lists a SAECVLI FELICITAS fourree.

71 examples in Reka Devnia, Mouchmov P.135.
1 commentsRon C2
oriciv655ORcweb.jpg
Orbiana Orichalcum sestertius, RIC IV 655Rome mint, Orbiana Orichalcum sestertius, 225 - 227 A.D., 33.1mm 20.780g, RIC IV 655, SRCV II 8193, Cohen 4, BMCRE VI 293
O: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
R: CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM S C, Concordia seated left holding patera and double cornucopia

casata137ec
orbiana_319.jpg
Orbiana RIC IV, 319Orbiana, died 240, wife of Severus Alexander
AR - Denar, 2.45g, 19.2mm
Rome 225 - 227
obv. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG
draped, diademed bust r.
rev. CONCORDI - A AVGG
Concordia sitting on throne l., holding patera
in r. hand and double-cornucopiae in l. hand
RIC IV, 319; C.1
Scarce; nice EF, quite rare for this condition
2 commentsJochen
orbiana.jpg
Orbiana SestertiusOrbiana --AE Sestertius. (26.05g) SAL BARBIA ORBIANA [AVG] Diademed and draped bust right. / CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM Concord seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia, SC at sides. RIC655. 1 commentsfeatherz
ORBIANA-1.jpg
Orbiana, 3rd wife of Severus Alexander. Augusta, 225-227 CE.AR Denarius (19 mm, 3.47 gm). Rome Mint, 225 CE.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in right hand and double cornucopiae in left.
RIC 319; BMC 287; RSC 1; Sear 8191.
RE_Orbiana_RIC_4_2(SA)_319_.jpg
Orbiana, Augusta and wife of Severus Alexander. Concordia Denarius of Rome. Roman Empire. Orbiana, wife of Severus Alexander. 225-227 AD. AR Denarius (2.39 gm, 18.5mm, 6h) Rome, 225 AD. Special marriage issue. Diademed and draped bust right, wearing stephane, SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG. / Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia, CONCORDIA AVGG. aVF. Porous surfaces. CNG EA 257 #434. RIC IV.2 #319 (Severus Alexander); BMCRE 287-290; RSC III #1; SRCV II #8191. Porous.Anaximander
0241-210.jpg
Orbiana, Denarius - *Rome mint, AD 225
SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left on throne, holding double cornucopia and patera
3.08 gr
Ref : RSC # 1, Cohen # 1, RCV # 8191, RIC # 319
Potator II
orbiana_657_tourist_fake.jpg
Orbiana, RIC 657 (so-called 'tourist fake')Orbiana, died AD 240, wife of Severus Alexander
Sestertius, 14.13g, 31.12mm, 0°
obv. [S]ALL BARBIA - ORBIANA AVG
Bust, draped and wearing stephane, r.
rev. CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM
Severus Alexander, togate, stg. r., clasping hands with Orbiana, in chiton and veiled with himation, stg. l.
ref. RIC 657; C. 6 (for the authentic coin!)

So-called 'tourist fake', but more correctly called 'tourist souvenir'. Acquired March 2011 in Ephesos.
Jochen
RE_Orbiana_RIC_4_2_319_.jpg
Orbiana, wife of Severus Alexander. Marriage Issue Denarius of Rome. Roman Empire. Orbiana, wife of Severus Alexander. 225-227 AD. AR Denarius (2.51 gm, 19.7mm, 6h) Rome, 225 AD. Special marriage issue. Diademed and draped bust right, wearing stephane, SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG. / Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia, CONCORDIA AVGG. EF. Bt. Herakles Numismatics, 2021. NGC 1945815-004 (de-slabbed). RIC IV.2 #319 (Severus Alexander); BMCRE (same) 287-290; RSC III #1; SRCV II #8191.Anaximander
orbiana.jpg
ORBIANA. Wife of Severus Alexander.AE Sestertius. 17.28 gm, 12h. Struck 225 AD. Diademed and draped bust right. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in extended right hand and cradling double cornucopiae in left arm. CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue. RIC IV 655 (Severus Alexander); Banti 1; BMCRE 293 (Severus Alexander); Cohen 4.

Triton VIII, Lot: 1056 . From the Michael Weller Collection. Ex Leo Benz Collection (Lanz 100, 20 November 2000), lot 199; George Bauer Collection (Glendining, 23 January 1963), lot 1378; M. L. Vierordt Collection (J. Schulman, 5 March 1923), lot 2068 ; H. C. Hoskier Collection (J. Hirsch XX, 13 November 1907).
1 commentsbenito
Orbiana_1.jpg
RIC 4b, p.096, 319 - Orbiana, Concordia Orbiana
AR Denarius. Rome, AD 225-227
Obv.: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, Draped bust right, wearing stephane
Rev.: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia
Ag, 2.84g, 18.9mm
Ref.: RIC IV 319, RSC 1, CRE 497 [C]
Ex Lanz Numismatik
2 commentsshanxi
ORBIANA-2.jpg
ROMAN EMPIRE, Orbiana fouree denariusThis ancient counterfeit has a bronze core which has been plated with silver. Its obverse is taken from a denarius of Orbiana (RIC 319, Cohen 1), the wife of Severus Alexander: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust right. The reverse is taken from a denarius of Julia Mamaea (RIC 332; BMC 913), Severus Alexander's mother: FECVND AVGVSTAE, Fecunditas seated left, reaching out to child. This reverse type is not found on official issues of Orbiana. (From EC's collection, ex-Gringott's Coins).
00orbiana~0~0.jpg
ROMAN EMPIRE, ORBIANA. Wife of Severus AlexanderAE Sestertius. 17.28 gm, 12h. Struck 225 AD. Diademed and draped bust right. SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in extended right hand and cradling double cornucopiae in left arm. CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, S C in exergue. RIC IV 655 (Severus Alexander); Banti 1; BMCRE 293 (Severus Alexander); Cohen 4.1 commentsbenito
Orbiana.jpg
Roman Orbiana DenariusOrbiana AD 222-235 (Wife of Severus Alexander)
Silver Denarius
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG - Diademed bust right, draped.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG - Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia. Rome mint: AD 225
RIC IVii, 319 (s) - Cohen 1 - SEAR RCV II (2002), #8191, page 675

Scarce
-
1 commentsTanit
orbiana4.jpg
Roman Orbiana SestertiusOrbiana Sestertius

SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diad. and dr. bust r. / CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM SC, Alexander r. and Orbiana l. stg. facing each other, clasping r. hands.

RIC 657, c. 6 , BMCRE 299
2 commentsTanit
SeverusAlexanderRIC70RSC325s.jpg
[1009a] Severus Alexander, 13 March 222 - March 235 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC 70, RSC 325, S -, EF, Rome mint, 2.803g, 20.7mm, 0o, 227 A.D.; Obverse: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust right; Reverse: P M TR P VI COS II P P, Emperor standing left, sacrificing from patera in right over a tripod, scroll in left; cameo-like obverse with toned portrait and legend and bright fields, slightly frosty surfaces, details of head on reverse figure unstruck, slightly irregular flan. Ex FORVM.

In this year Ardashir invaded Parthia and established the Sassanid Dynasty, which claimed direct descent from Xerxes and Darius. The Eastern power grew stronger and the threat to the Romans immense.

Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander was promoted from Caesar to Augustus after the murder of his cousin, Elagabalus. His reign was marked by great economic prosperity, and he enjoyed great success against the barbarian tribes. His mother Julia Mamaea was the real power in the empire, controlling her son's policies and even his personal life with great authority. Severus had an oratory where he prayed under the edict, written on the wall, "Do not unto others what you would not have done to yourself" and the images of various prophets including Mithras, Zoroaster, Abraham and Jesus. Mutinous soldiers led by Maximinus I murdered both Severus Alexander and his mother (Joseph Sermarini).

De Imeratoribus Romanis,
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors


Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-235)


Herbert W. Benario
Emory University

Introduction and Sources
"But as Alexander was a modest and dutiful youth, of only seventeen years of age, the reins of government were in the hands of two women, of his mother Mamaea, and of Maesa, his grandmother. After the death of the latter, who survived but a short time the elevation of Alexander, Mamaea remained the sole regent of her son and of the empire." (Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chap. 6: Modern Library Edition, p. 130)

"As the imperial system developed, it disclosed its various arcana one by one. How much does the personality of the ruler matter? Less and less, it should seem. Be he boy, buffoon, or philosopher, his conduct may not have much effect on the administration. Habit and routine took over, with groups and grades of bureaucrats at hand to fill the posts." (Syme, Emperors and Biography, 146)

The passages quoted above emphasize two important aspects of the principate of Severus Alexander (or Alexander Severus), his youth and the influence of women during his reign. The significance of the latter invites brief discourse about the four women known as the "Severan Julias," whose origin was Syria. Julia Domna became the second wife of Septimius Severus and bore him two sons, the later emperors Caracalla and Geta. Her role in the administration of her husband was significant, which her expansive titulature, "mother of the camp and the senate and the country," reflected. Her sister, Julia Maesa, had two daughters, each of whom produced a son who was to become emperor. Julia Soaemias was the mother of Elagabalus, and shared his fate when he was assassinated. Julia Mamaea bore Alexander, who succeeded his cousin; he was very young and hence much under the control of grandmother and mother. For the first time in its imperial history, the empire of Rome was de facto, though not de iure, governed by women.

The literary sources, while numerous, are limited in value. Chief among them, at least in scope, is the biography in the Historia Augusta, much the longest of all the lives in this peculiar collection. Though purporting to be the work of six authors in the early fourth century, it is now generally considered to have been produced by one author writing in the last years of this century. Spacious in its treatment of the emperor and extremely favorable to him on the whole, it has little historical merit, seeming rather an extended work of fiction. It must be used with the utmost caution.

Herodian, whose history covered the period 180-238, was a contemporary of Severus Alexander, and his coverage of the latter's reign is extensive. Another contemporary, Dio Cassius, who was consul in 229 and whose judgments would have been most valuable, is unfortunately useless here, since his history survives only in abbreviated form and covers barely a page of printed text for the whole reign (Book 80). Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, the Epitome de Caesaribus, and other Latin sources are extremely brief, informing us of only the occasional anecdote. Christian writers make minimal contribution; legal texts offer much instruction, particularly those dealing with or stemming from Ulpian; coins, inscriptions, papyri, and archaeology help fill the gaps left by the literary sources.

Early Life and Education
The future emperor was born in Arca Caesarea in Phoenicia on October 1, 208 although some sources put the date three years earlier (as Gibbon assumed, see above), the son of Gessius Marcianus, whose career advanced in the equestrian cursus, and of Julia Mamaea, niece of the then empress, Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus. He was raised quietly and well educated, at the instance of his mother. He came into the public eye only in 218, when, after Macrinus' murder of Caracalla and accession to the purple, he and his mother were declared hostes publici. In June of that year, Elagabalus defeated Macrinus and succeeded him as emperor. Alexander and Mamaea were soon rehabilitated. As his cousin's activities, religious, political, and personal, became increasingly unacceptable, Alexander was drawn ever more into public life. In mid 221, he assumed the toga virilis, was adopted by Elagabalus as a colleague, was granted the name Alexander, and elevated to the rank of Caesar. There had been talk that he was the illegitimate child of Caracalla, which won him support among the army, and this was confirmed, at least for public consumption, by his filiation in the official titulature back to Septimius. He was now styled Imp. Caes. M. Aurelii Antonini Pii Felicis Aug. fil., divi Antonini Magni Pii nepos, divi Severi pronepos M. Aurelius Alexander, nobilissimus Caesar imperi et sacerdotis, princeps iuventutis. The connection with Septimius Severus was crucial, since he was the only one of these predecessors who had been deified. Alexander was about 12½ years old. Less than a year later, on March 13, 222, with the murder of Elagabalus, Alexander was hailed as emperor by the army. He considered this date as his dies imperii. He became thereby the youngest emperor in Rome's history. He was immediately thereafter given the titles of Augustus, pater patriae, and pontifex maximus.

His Principate; Grandmother, Mother, Ulpian
Having had no experience in government, the young emperor was largely dependent upon the two senior women in his life to guide his actions. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, may well have died as early as 223, so that his mother, Julia Mamaea, played the major role in the empire's administration from early on until the end. The only other figures who could rival her were the two Praetorian Prefects, both eminent jurists, Ulpian and Paulus, who are well-known to us because of the numerous citations of their legal views and administrative decisions preserved in the Corpus Iuris Civilis. Both were members of Alexander's consilium. Alexander attempted to restore some of the senate's prestige and functions, but with little success. He was even unable to protect Ulpian against the anger of the praetorians, who then murdered the jurist in 223.

Had his principate been peaceful, he might have developed into a significant emperor, certainly in comparison with his immediate predecessors. He was married once, in 225 to Sallustia Orbiana, who received the official titulature Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta, but she was banished to Libya two years later. Her father, L. Seius Sallustius, was perhaps raised to the rank of Caesar by Alexander and was put to death in 227 on a charge of attempted murder of the emperor. The only other recorded uprising against Alexander is that of Taurinus, who was hailed as Augustus but drowned himself in the Euphrates.

According to the HA life, Alexander was a "good" person, and his mother certainly attempted to guide him well, but much of the last decade of his reign was preoccupied with serious military threats against the empire's prestige, nay existence. In those dangerous circumstances, his abilities, which had not earlier been honed, proved inadequate.

Domestic Policy
Perhaps the greatest service which Alexander furnished Rome, certainly at the beginning of his reign, was the return to a sense of sanity and tradition after the madness and fanaticism of Elagabalus. He is said to have honored and worshipped a variety of individuals, including Christ. His amiability assisted his relationship with the senate, which gained in honor under him without any real increase in its power. Besides jurists in high office, literary figures were also so distinguished; Marius Maximus, the biographer, and Dio Cassius, the historian, gained second consulships, the former in 223, the latter in 229.

The emperor's building program made its mark upon the face of Rome. The last of the eleven great aqueducts, the aqua Alexandrina, was put into service in 226; he also rebuilt the thermae Neronianae in the Campus Martius in the following year and gave them his own name. Of the other constructions, perhaps the most intriguing are the Diaetae Mammaeae, apartments which he built for his mother on the Palatine.

The Persian and German Wars
The first great external challenge appeared in the east, where the Parthian dynasty, which had ruled the Iranian plateau and other large areas for centuries, and who for long had been one of Rome's great rivals, was overthrown by the Persian family of the Sassanids by 227. They aspired to restore their domain to include all the Asian lands which had been ruled in the glory days of the Persian Empire. Since this included Asia Minor as well as all other eastern provinces, the stage was set for continuing clashes with Rome.

These began late in the decade, with significant success early on for the Sassanids. But Rome gradually developed a defense against these incursions, and ultimately the emperor, with his mother and staff, went to the east in 231. There actual military command rested in the hands of his generals, but his presence gave additional weight to the empire's policy. Persia's early successes soon faded as Rome's armies brought their power and experience to bear. The result was an acceptance of the status quo rather than a settlement between the parties. This occurred in 233 and Alexander returned to Rome. His presence in the west was required by a German threat, particularly along the Rhine, where the tribes took advantage of the withdrawal of Roman troops for the eastern war.

In 234, Alexander and Julia Mammaea moved to Moguntiacum (Mainz), the capital of Upper Germany. The military situation had improved with the return of troops from the east, and an ambitious offensive campaign was planned, for which a bridge was built across the Rhine. But Alexander preferred to negotiate for peace by buying off the enemy. This policy outraged the soldiers, who mutinied in mid March 235 and killed the emperor and his mother. He had reached the age of 26½ years and had been emperor for almost precisely half his life. He was deified by the senate and received other posthumous honors. With the accession of Maximinus Thrax, the Severan dynasty came to an end.

Death and Evaluation
Tacitus' famous dictum about Galba, that he was properly considered capax imperii, capable of being emperor, until he showed, when emperor, that he was not, could never have been applied to Severus Alexander. A child when chance brought him to the principate, with only two recommendations, that he was different from Elagabalus and that he was part of the Severan family, he proved to be inadequate for the challenges of the time. Military experience was the prime attribute of an emperor now, which Alexander did not have, and that lack ultimately cost him his life. Guided by his mother and employing the services of distinguished men, he returned dignity to the imperial household and to the state. He did the best he could, but that best was not good enough in the early decades of the third century A.D., with the great threats from east and north challenging Rome's primacy and, indeed, existence.

Copyright (C) 2001, Herbert W. Benario. Published on De Imeratoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors; http://www.roman-emperors.org/alexsev.htm . Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
SevAl.jpg
[1009b] Severus Alexander, 13 March 222 - March 235 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC 19, S -, aF, Rome, 2.806g, 20.0mm, 0o, 223 A.D.; obverse IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust right; reverse P M TR P II COS P P, Jupiter standing left cloak over arms, holding long scepter and thunderbolt. Nice portrait. Ex FORVM.

Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander was promoted from Caesar to Augustus after the murder of his cousin, Elagabalus. His reign was marked by great economic prosperity, and he enjoyed great success against the barbarian tribes. His mother Julia Mamaea was the real power in the empire, controlling her son's policies and even his personal life with great authority. Severus had an oratory where he prayed under the edict, written on the wall, "Do not unto others what you would not have done to yourself" and the images of various prophets including Mithras, Zoroaster, Abraham and Jesus. Mutinous soldiers led by Maximinus I murdered both Severus Alexander and his mother (Joseph Sermarini).


De Imeratoribus Romanis,
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors


Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-235)


Herbert W. Benario
Emory University

Introduction and Sources
"But as Alexander was a modest and dutiful youth, of only seventeen years of age, the reins of government were in the hands of two women, of his mother Mamaea, and of Maesa, his grandmother. After the death of the latter, who survived but a short time the elevation of Alexander, Mamaea remained the sole regent of her son and of the empire." (Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chap. 6: Modern Library Edition, p. 130)

"As the imperial system developed, it disclosed its various arcana one by one. How much does the personality of the ruler matter? Less and less, it should seem. Be he boy, buffoon, or philosopher, his conduct may not have much effect on the administration. Habit and routine took over, with groups and grades of bureaucrats at hand to fill the posts." (Syme, Emperors and Biography, 146)

The passages quoted above emphasize two important aspects of the principate of Severus Alexander (or Alexander Severus), his youth and the influence of women during his reign. The significance of the latter invites brief discourse about the four women known as the "Severan Julias," whose origin was Syria. Julia Domna became the second wife of Septimius Severus and bore him two sons, the later emperors Caracalla and Geta. Her role in the administration of her husband was significant, which her expansive titulature, "mother of the camp and the senate and the country," reflected. Her sister, Julia Maesa, had two daughters, each of whom produced a son who was to become emperor. Julia Soaemias was the mother of Elagabalus, and shared his fate when he was assassinated. Julia Mamaea bore Alexander, who succeeded his cousin; he was very young and hence much under the control of grandmother and mother. For the first time in its imperial history, the empire of Rome was de facto, though not de iure, governed by women.

The literary sources, while numerous, are limited in value. Chief among them, at least in scope, is the biography in the Historia Augusta, much the longest of all the lives in this peculiar collection. Though purporting to be the work of six authors in the early fourth century, it is now generally considered to have been produced by one author writing in the last years of this century. Spacious in its treatment of the emperor and extremely favorable to him on the whole, it has little historical merit, seeming rather an extended work of fiction. It must be used with the utmost caution.

Herodian, whose history covered the period 180-238, was a contemporary of Severus Alexander, and his coverage of the latter's reign is extensive. Another contemporary, Dio Cassius, who was consul in 229 and whose judgments would have been most valuable, is unfortunately useless here, since his history survives only in abbreviated form and covers barely a page of printed text for the whole reign (Book 80). Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, the Epitome de Caesaribus, and other Latin sources are extremely brief, informing us of only the occasional anecdote. Christian writers make minimal contribution; legal texts offer much instruction, particularly those dealing with or stemming from Ulpian; coins, inscriptions, papyri, and archaeology help fill the gaps left by the literary sources.

Early Life and Education
The future emperor was born in Arca Caesarea in Phoenicia on October 1, 208 although some sources put the date three years earlier (as Gibbon assumed, see above), the son of Gessius Marcianus, whose career advanced in the equestrian cursus, and of Julia Mamaea, niece of the then empress, Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus. He was raised quietly and well educated, at the instance of his mother. He came into the public eye only in 218, when, after Macrinus' murder of Caracalla and accession to the purple, he and his mother were declared hostes publici. In June of that year, Elagabalus defeated Macrinus and succeeded him as emperor. Alexander and Mamaea were soon rehabilitated. As his cousin's activities, religious, political, and personal, became increasingly unacceptable, Alexander was drawn ever more into public life. In mid 221, he assumed the toga virilis, was adopted by Elagabalus as a colleague, was granted the name Alexander, and elevated to the rank of Caesar. There had been talk that he was the illegitimate child of Caracalla, which won him support among the army, and this was confirmed, at least for public consumption, by his filiation in the official titulature back to Septimius. He was now styled Imp. Caes. M. Aurelii Antonini Pii Felicis Aug. fil., divi Antonini Magni Pii nepos, divi Severi pronepos M. Aurelius Alexander, nobilissimus Caesar imperi et sacerdotis, princeps iuventutis. The connection with Septimius Severus was crucial, since he was the only one of these predecessors who had been deified. Alexander was about 12½ years old. Less than a year later, on March 13, 222, with the murder of Elagabalus, Alexander was hailed as emperor by the army. He considered this date as his dies imperii. He became thereby the youngest emperor in Rome's history. He was immediately thereafter given the titles of Augustus, pater patriae, and pontifex maximus.

His Principate; Grandmother, Mother, Ulpian
Having had no experience in government, the young emperor was largely dependent upon the two senior women in his life to guide his actions. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, may well have died as early as 223, so that his mother, Julia Mamaea, played the major role in the empire's administration from early on until the end. The only other figures who could rival her were the two Praetorian Prefects, both eminent jurists, Ulpian and Paulus, who are well-known to us because of the numerous citations of their legal views and administrative decisions preserved in the Corpus Iuris Civilis. Both were members of Alexander's consilium. Alexander attempted to restore some of the senate's prestige and functions, but with little success. He was even unable to protect Ulpian against the anger of the praetorians, who then murdered the jurist in 223.

Had his principate been peaceful, he might have developed into a significant emperor, certainly in comparison with his immediate predecessors. He was married once, in 225 to Sallustia Orbiana, who received the official titulature Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta, but she was banished to Libya two years later. Her father, L. Seius Sallustius, was perhaps raised to the rank of Caesar by Alexander and was put to death in 227 on a charge of attempted murder of the emperor. The only other recorded uprising against Alexander is that of Taurinus, who was hailed as Augustus but drowned himself in the Euphrates.

According to the HA life, Alexander was a "good" person, and his mother certainly attempted to guide him well, but much of the last decade of his reign was preoccupied with serious military threats against the empire's prestige, nay existence. In those dangerous circumstances, his abilities, which had not earlier been honed, proved inadequate.

Domestic Policy
Perhaps the greatest service which Alexander furnished Rome, certainly at the beginning of his reign, was the return to a sense of sanity and tradition after the madness and fanaticism of Elagabalus. He is said to have honored and worshipped a variety of individuals, including Christ. His amiability assisted his relationship with the senate, which gained in honor under him without any real increase in its power. Besides jurists in high office, literary figures were also so distinguished; Marius Maximus, the biographer, and Dio Cassius, the historian, gained second consulships, the former in 223, the latter in 229.

The emperor's building program made its mark upon the face of Rome. The last of the eleven great aqueducts, the aqua Alexandrina, was put into service in 226; he also rebuilt the thermae Neronianae in the Campus Martius in the following year and gave them his own name. Of the other constructions, perhaps the most intriguing are the Diaetae Mammaeae, apartments which he built for his mother on the Palatine.

The Persian and German Wars
The first great external challenge appeared in the east, where the Parthian dynasty, which had ruled the Iranian plateau and other large areas for centuries, and who for long had been one of Rome's great rivals, was overthrown by the Persian family of the Sassanids by 227. They aspired to restore their domain to include all the Asian lands which had been ruled in the glory days of the Persian Empire. Since this included Asia Minor as well as all other eastern provinces, the stage was set for continuing clashes with Rome.

These began late in the decade, with significant success early on for the Sassanids. But Rome gradually developed a defense against these incursions, and ultimately the emperor, with his mother and staff, went to the east in 231. There actual military command rested in the hands of his generals, but his presence gave additional weight to the empire's policy. Persia's early successes soon faded as Rome's armies brought their power and experience to bear. The result was an acceptance of the status quo rather than a settlement between the parties. This occurred in 233 and Alexander returned to Rome. His presence in the west was required by a German threat, particularly along the Rhine, where the tribes took advantage of the withdrawal of Roman troops for the eastern war.

In 234, Alexander and Julia Mammaea moved to Moguntiacum (Mainz), the capital of Upper Germany. The military situation had improved with the return of troops from the east, and an ambitious offensive campaign was planned, for which a bridge was built across the Rhine. But Alexander preferred to negotiate for peace by buying off the enemy. This policy outraged the soldiers, who mutinied in mid March 235 and killed the emperor and his mother. He had reached the age of 26½ years and had been emperor for almost precisely half his life. He was deified by the senate and received other posthumous honors. With the accession of Maximinus Thrax, the Severan dynasty came to an end.

Death and Evaluation
Tacitus' famous dictum about Galba, that he was properly considered capax imperii, capable of being emperor, until he showed, when emperor, that he was not, could never have been applied to Severus Alexander. A child when chance brought him to the principate, with only two recommendations, that he was different from Elagabalus and that he was part of the Severan family, he proved to be inadequate for the challenges of the time. Military experience was the prime attribute of an emperor now, which Alexander did not have, and that lack ultimately cost him his life. Guided by his mother and employing the services of distinguished men, he returned dignity to the imperial household and to the state. He did the best he could, but that best was not good enough in the early decades of the third century A.D., with the great threats from east and north challenging Rome's primacy and, indeed, existence.

Copyright (C) 2001, Herbert W. Benario. Published on De Imeratoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors; http://www.roman-emperors.org/alexsev.htm . Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
 
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