Richard's coin, since its
obv. die omits the "horn", seems to be a
mule struck in 222 AD (TR P V
COS IIII) from an old
rev. die surviving from 221 (TR P IIII
COS III).
On
denarii, it is clear that the "horn" was introduced in 221 at the same time as the four
rev. types showing the emperor in Syrian priestly dress sacrificing to
his sun-god
Elagabalus, and that it was the
standard obv. type until sometime early in the next year, TR P V=222, when it was eliminated until the end of the reign a month or two later, in March 222.
Elke
Krengel, in an article on the "horn" of
Elagabalus published in 1997, plausibly suggested that this elimination of the offensive "horn", clearly a cult decoration connected with the Syrian cult of the god
Elagabalus, was one of the moderations forced upon
Elagabalus in order to save
his own skin, when he was detected by the Praetorians in a plot to assassinate
his cousin
Severus Alexander, whom he
had made
Caesar! Dio Cassius says that when
Elagabalus, whom he calls "Sardanapalus", tried to destroy Alexander for the first time, "he not only accomplished nothing, but came near being killed himself," since the Praetorians "raised a terrible tumult, and did not stop rioting until Sardanapalus, accompanied by Alexander, came to the camp, poured out
his supplications, and under compulsion surrendered such of
his companions in lewdness as the soldiers demanded." It was Elagabalus' second attempt to slay Alexander, a month or two later, which led to
his own assassination by the Praetorians in March 222.
Virtually all TR P IIII
denarii with the sacrifice
type show the "horn" on
obv., as do a considerable number of
denarii with TR P V, whereas others with TR P V, apparently the latest coins of the reign, omit the "horn". There are, indeed, a few TR P IIII sacrifice
denarii without the "horn", but these coins are so
rare and come from so few
rev. dies that they are easily explained as
mules struck after the elimination of the "horn" in early 222 from a few old
rev. dies of 221 that
had inadvertantly remained in use.
On
sestertii, I have casts of 26 bearded coins without the "horn", Richard's coin being a 27th, coming from five
obv. dies, and coupled with the following
rev. dies:
TR P IIII Sacrifice, five
rev. dies, three of which, including the die of Richard's coin, I also know combined with "horned"
obv. dies.
TR P V Sacrifice, two
rev. dies, one also known to me in combination with a "horned"
obv. die.
INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG Sacrifice, one
rev. die, also known to me in combination with "horned"
obv. dies.
SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB Sacrifice l., the only
rev. die of this
type, also known to me in combination with "horned"
obv. dies. On
denarii this was a
scarce initial
type variant, certainly confined to a couple of weeks in c. summer 221, soon superseded by a Sacrificing right
type with the same
legend.
LIBERTAS AVG,
Libertas standing holding
cap and
cornucopia, two
rev. dies. On
sestertii as on
denarii, this
type only occurs with "hornless" obverses, so was evidently one of the very latest
types of the reign.
At first sight, it might appear that on
sestertii "hornless" obverses were introduced alongside "horned" obverses in 221, explaining their use with five TR P IIII Sacrifice
rev. dies and the early SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB
type, but that they then outlasted the "horned" obverses in 222, explaining their exclusive combination with the
LIBERTAS AVG type.
More likely, however, is that as on
denarii, so on
sestertii too the "horn" was only omitted from the
obv. dies early in 222. Those five TR P IIII Sacrifice
rev. dies
had merely survived from 221, and were erroneously coupled with the new "hornless" obverses in 222; ditto the early SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB
rev. die, whose reuse in 222 need not however be termed "incorrect". We have seen that on
denarii too a couple of TR P IIII Sacrifice dies apparently survived into 222 when they were coupled with "unhorned" obverses. An As of
Elagabalus in Klosterneuberg Monastery provides a certain case of a
rev. die of 221 erroneously remaining in use in 222: its
rev. was struck twice with two
rev. dies that were apparently in rapid alternate use with the same
obv. die; one of these
rev. dies was dated TR P IIII, but the other TR P V, and the TR P IIII die was struck OVER the TR P V die!
