Classical Numismatics Discussion Members' Coin Collection Photo Gallery

Image search results - "204,"

Ae Sextans - 211/206 BC - Mint of Rome
Anonymous
Obv.: Head of Mercury right wearing winged petasos; •• above
Rev.: Prow of galley right; ROMA above, •• below.
Gs. 5,8 mm. 19,6
Crawf. 56/6, Sear RCV 1204, Grueber 256

Maxentius

(06) NERO54 - 68 AD
Struck 65 - 66 AD
Billon tetracrachm 24 mm 11.78 g
O: NERWKLAYKAISSEBGER Radiatebust of Nero right, wearing aegis
R: AYIGO-KRA Bust of Alexandria right, wearing elephant head headdress, L IB (year 12) right
Alexandria, Provincial Egypt
Milne 238, SRCV I 2004, Emmett 109, Koln 172, Dattari 204, BMC 163, RPC 5289
(ex Forum)laney

014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Egypt, Alexandria, RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #1014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Egypt, Alexandria, RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #1
avers: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ, Radiate bust of Nero with aegis, right.
reverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, Bust of Alexandria with elephant headdress, right.
exergue: -/LiB//--, diameter: 23,0-24,4mm, weight: 13,11g, axis: 1h,
mint: City: Alexandria, Region: Egypt, Province: Egypt,
date: Dated year (LiB) 12 = 65-66 A.D.,
ref:
RPC I 5289,
Emmet -,
Milne -,
Geissen 0172-0174,
Dattari 0204,
Kampmann-Ganschow 014.88,
Q-001quadrans

014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Egypt, Alexandria, RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #2014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Egypt, Alexandria, RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #2
avers: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ, Radiate bust of Nero with aegis, right.
reverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, Bust of Alexandria with elephant headdress, right.
exergue: -/LiB//--, diameter: 22,0-23,5mm, weight: 13,37g, axis: 1h,
mint: City: Alexandria, Region: Egypt, Province: Egypt,
date: Dated year (LiB) 12 = 65-66 A.D.,
ref:
RPC I 5289,
Emmet -,
Milne -,
Geissen 0172-0174,
Dattari 0204,
Kampmann-Ganschow 014.88,
Q-002quadrans

022b Titus (69-79 A.D. Caesar, 79-81 A.D. Augustus), RIC² 0215, RIC II(1962) 0121b, AE-As, Roma, AEQVITAS-AVGVST, Aequitas standing left, Scarce!, #1022b Titus (69-79 A.D. Caesar, 79-81 A.D. Augustus), RIC² 0215, RIC II(1962) 0121b, AE-As, Roma, AEQVITAS-AVGVST, Aequitas standing left, Scarce!, #1
avers: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII, Laureate head left.
reverse: AEQVITAS AVGVST, Aequitas standing left, holding scales and scepter. S-C across the field.
exergue: S/C//--, diameter: 27-27,5mm, weight: 10,73g, axis: 6h,
mint: Rome, date: 80-81 AD, ref: RIC² 0215, RIC II(1962) 0121b p-130, C-5, BMC 204, BNC 207,
Q-001quadrans

035 Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), RIC III 0204, Rome, AR-Denarius, COS-IIII, Annona, #1035 Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), RIC III 0204, Rome, AR-Denarius, COS-IIII, Annona, #1
avers:- ANTONINVS-AVG-PIVS-P-P-TR-P-XV, Laureate head right.
revers:- COS-IIII, Annona standing left, holding grain ears and resting hand on modius on galley prow.
exerg: -/-//--, diameter: 18mm, weight: 3,40g, axis: h,
mint: Rome, date: 151-152 A.D., ref: RIC-III-204-p-51, C-288,
Q-001quadrans

035 Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), RIC III 0204, Rome, AR-Denarius, COS-IIII, Annona, #2035 Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), RIC III 0204, Rome, AR-Denarius, COS-IIII, Annona, #2
avers:- ANTONINVS-AVG-PIVS-P-P-TR-P-XV, Laureate head right.
revers:- COS-IIII, Annona standing left, holding grain ears and resting hand on modius on galley prow.
exerg: -/-//--, diameter: 17,5-18mm, weight: 3,07g, axis:6h,
mint: Rome, date: 151-152 A.D., ref: RIC-III-204-p-51, C-288,
Q-002quadrans

048 Ferdinand II., (Ferdinand II. of Habsburg), King of Hungary, (1619-1637 A.D.), AR-Denarius, U-917a, 1629, Madonna and child, #01048 Ferdinand II., (Ferdinand II. of Habsburg), King of Hungary, (1619-1637 A.D.), AR-Denarius, U-917a, 1629, Madonna and child, #01
avers: FER•II•D•G•R•I•S•A•G•H•B•R•, Hungarian shield, four-part shield with Hungarian arms (Árpádian stripes, patriarchal cross). The year 1629 on the top of the shield, K-B crossed the field.
reverse: PATRONA-HVNGARI•, Madonna sits with child on her left arm.
diameter: 14,1mm, weight: 0,51g, axis: 7h,
mint mark: K-B, mint: Körmöczbánya, date: 1629 A.D.,
ref: Unger-917a, CNH-3-303, Huszár-1204,
Q-001quadrans

050a Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 389A (Caracalla), AR-Antoninianus, VENVS GENETRIX, Venus seated left, Scarce! #1050a Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 389A (Caracalla), AR-Antoninianus, VENVS GENETRIX, Venus seated left, Scarce! #1
avers: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, Diademed and draped bust right on crescent.
reverse: VENVS GENETRIX, Venus seated left, holding scepter and apple, Cupid standing right before.
exergue:-/-//--, diameter: 21,5-22mm, weight: 3,80g, axis: 0h,
mint: Rome, date: 216 A.D.,
ref: RIC IV-I 389A (Caracalla), p-274, RSC 204, (Caracalla), Scarce!
Q-001quadrans

062p Severus Alexander (222-235 A.D.), Bithynia, Nikaia, BMC 103var., AE-22, ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩN, #1062p Severus Alexander (222-235 A.D.), Bithynia, Nikaia, BMC 103var., AE-22, ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩN, #1
avers:- M AVP CEVH AΛEΞANΔROC AV, Laureate, cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.
revers:- ΝΙ-ΚΑ-ΙΕ-ΩN, Between three legionary standards.
exe: -/-//--, diameter: 22mm, weight: 9,07g, axis: 5h,
mint: Bithynia, Nikaia, date: , ref: Kemppinen S204, BMC 103var. ,
Q-001quadrans

095a04. Vetranio in Name of Constantius IIVetranio issuing in name of Constantius II
Billon heavy maiorina, RIC VIII Siscia 304, SRCV V 18204, Cohen VII 142, LRBC II 1190, Hunter V 54, , 4.981g, 22.8mm, 0o, 1st officina, Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) mint, 350 - 351 A.D.; obverse D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, A behind (A's often appear as H in this period); reverse HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS, Constantius standing facing head left, holding labarum (Chi Rho Christogram standard) and spear, Victory right crowning him, palm in left hand, III left field, ASIS crescent in exergue. A FORUM coin.lawrence c

112 Probus (276-282 A.D.), AE-Antoninianus, RIC V-II 204, Rome, SOLI INVICTO, Bust-H, -/-//R, Sol in spread quadriga,112 Probus (276-282 A.D.), AE-Antoninianus, RIC V-II 204, Rome, SOLI INVICTO, Bust-H, -/-//R, Sol in spread quadriga,
avers:- IMP-C-M-AVR-PROBVS-P-F-AVG, Radiate bust left in imperial mantle, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle. (H)
revers:- SO-L-I-IN-VIC-T-O, Sol in spread quadriga holding globe and whip.
exergo: -/-//R, diameter:21,5-22,5 mm, weight:3,04 g, axis: 0h,
mint: Rome, 3rd emission of Rome, 278, date: 278 A.D., ref: RIC V-II 204, p-39,
Q-001quadrans

130 - Tacitus Antoninianus - RIC -Obv:– IMP C M CLA TACITVS AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– PAX AVG, Pax standing left holding branch and transverse sceptre.
Minted in Siscia (Q in exe)
Reference:– RIC -. Estiot 2204, La Venera 1798. Paris P. 368maridvnvm

1368 Nero - AlexandriaBI tetradrachm
29 Aug 65 - 28 Aug 66 AD
radiate bust right wearing aegis
NEPΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP AY
draped bust of Alexandria right wearing elephant skin
AYTOKPA
LIB
Dattari 204, Geissen 172, Milne 238, Kampmann-Ganschow 14.88, BMC Alexandria 163, RPC I 5289, SRCV I 2004, Emmett 109
13,60g 22,5mm
ex RauchJ. B.

139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ΓSIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, Scarce, #1139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•Î“SIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, Scarce, #1
avers:- FL-HELENA-AVGVSTA, 12,E10, Diademed, draped bust right, with two-row necklace.
revers:- SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICA Securitas standing left, lowering branch with left hand, raising robe with right hand.
exergo: -/-//•Î“SIS•, diameter: 18,5-19,8mm, weight: 2,84g, axis: 0h,
mint: Siscia, date: 326-27 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-450, Scarce,
Q-001quadrans

139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #1139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #1
avers:- FL-HELENA-AVGVSTA, 12,E10, Diademed, draped bust right, with two-row necklace.
revers:- SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICA Securitas standing left, lowering branch with left hand, raising robe with right hand.
exergo: -/-//•ESIS•, diameter: 19mm, weight: 3,21g, axis: 0h,
mint: Siscia, date: 326-27 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-450, R1,
Q-001quadrans

139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #2139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #2
avers:- FL-HELENA-AVGVSTA, 12,E10, Diademed, draped bust right, with two-row necklace.
revers:- SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, lowering branch with left hand, raising robe with right hand.
exergo: -/-//•ESIS•, diameter: 20mm, weight: 3,24g, axis: 0h,
mint: Siscia, date: 326-27 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-450, R1,
Q-002quadrans

139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #3139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ESIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #3
avers:- FL-HELENA-AVGVSTA, 12,E10, Diademed, draped bust right, with two-row necklace.
revers:- SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICA Securitas standing left, lowering branch with left hand, raising robe with right hand.
exergo: -/-//•ESIS•, diameter: 18-18,5mm, weight: 3,35g, axis: 1h,
mint: Siscia, date: 326-27 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-450, R1,
Q-003quadrans

142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 204, AE-3 Follis, -/-//PLG, BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe on altar, R4!!!142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 204, AE-3 Follis, -/-//PLG, BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe on altar, R4!!!
avers:- DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES, 5a, B1, Laureate bust right.
revers:- BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe set on altar inscribed VOT/IS/XX, above, three stars.
exergo: -/-//PLG, diameter: -mm, weight:-g, axis:-h,
mint: Lugdunum, date: 323 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-134, R4!!!
Q-001quadrans

147 Constantius II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), Roma, RIC VIII 204, AE-2 Follis, -/*//RP, GLORIA ROMANORVM, Soldier spearing falling enemy, #1147 Constantius II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), Roma, RIC VIII 204, AE-2 Follis, -/*//RP, GLORIA ROMANORVM, Soldier spearing falling enemy, #1
avers: D N CONSTAN TIVS P F AVG, Cs1, G3, Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right, holding globe, A behind head.
reverse: GLORIA ROMANORVM, Emperor in military dress, on horseback, galloping right, (no shield), spearing barbarian wearing a Phrygian helmet and with outstretched arms kneeling left in front of the horse, shield and broken spear beneath horse. Star in the upper right field.
exergue: -/*//RP, diameter: 23,5-24mm, weight: 4,46g, axis: 0h,
mint: Roma, date: 350-351 A.D., ref: RIC VIII 204,
Q-0012 commentsquadrans

218aElagabalus 218-22 AD
AE 24 mm
Berytus in Phoenicia
Tetrastyle temple with curved arch containing a statue of Marsyas right
BMC 204, SNG Cop 1161 commentsmauseus

94-07 - CLAUDIO GOTICO (268 - 270 D.C.)AE Antoniniano 19 x 21 mm 3.2 gr.

Anv: "IMP C CLAVD[IVS AV]G", Cabeza radiada, viendo a derecha.
Rev: "VIRTVS [AVG]", Virtus (La Virtud) estante a izq., portando rama de olivo en mano der.y lanza en izq., a su der. escudo apoyado en tierra.

Acuñada 1ra. Emisión Set. 268 - Final 269 D.C.
Ceca: Roma (Off. 5ta.)

Referencias: RIC Va #109 (C) P.219, RIC2 temp #204, Cohen VI #313 P.160, DVM #39 P.255, Sear RCTV III #11383 P.404, Hunter #24, ES #69, La Venera #6794/6807, Cunetio #1969mdelvalle

Abdera, Ar triobol, 352 - 323 B.C. Magistrate Romnemon.Obv:– Griffin seated left, club beneath, HPA above (Magistrate).
Rev:– ABD-HRI-TE-WN, Laureate head of Apollo right in square.
Minted in Abdera, VIIIth period. 352 - 323 B.C. (AMNG)
Reference:– May -. AMNG II, 204, pl. III, #15
1.57g, 15.29mm, 0omaridvnvm

Bithynia, Nikaia, 062 Severus Alexander (222-235 A.D.), BMC 103var., AE-22, ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩN, Bithynia, Nikaia, 062 Severus Alexander (222-235 A.D.), BMC 103var., AE-22, ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩN,
avers:- M AVP CEVH AΛEΞANΔROC AV, Laureate, cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.
revers:- ΝΙ-ΚΑ-ΙΕ-ΩN, Between three legionary standards.
exe: -/-//--, diameter: 22mm, weight: 9,07g, axis: 5h,
mint: Bithynia, Nikaia, date: , ref: Kemppinen S204, BMC 103var. ,
Q-001quadrans

C. Fundanius - AR denariusRome
²98 BC / ¹101 BC
head of Roma right wearing winged helmet
· C
Gaius Marius with his son as rider riding in triumphal quadriga right. Gaius Marius holds staff and laurel branch, rider holds laurel branch and reins.
Q
C·FVNDAN
¹Crawford 326/1, SRCV I 204, Sydenham 583, RSC I Fundania 1
²Mark Passehl - Roman moneyer & coin type chronology, 150 – 50 BC
4,0g 18,5mm
ex Aureo & Calicó

Moneyer depicts triumph of Gaius Marius after the victory over Cimbri, Ambrones and Teutons in the battle of Aquae Sextiae in 102 BC and in the battle of Vercelli in 101 BC. This is the first Roman issue depicting living person. Moneyer struck these coins as Questor.J. B.

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, (Star), PLNAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 312 - 313AD
21.0mm 2.61gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS P AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising hand and holding globe.
Exergue: (Star), left field; PLN, below line.
Londinium Mint
RIC VI London 279 var. (obverse legend); Aorta: 2383: B68, O58, R186, T204, M9.
Rated C2
zurqieh_dubai 291438153942
7/23/15 2/3/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, (Star), PTAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 313 - 314AD
19.5 x 18.5mm 2.20gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVI-C-TO COMITI; Sol, standing left, right hand raised, holding globe in left hand.
Exergue: (Star), left field; PT, below line.
Ticinum Mint
RIC VII Ticinum 8; Sear 16086; Aorta: 2498: B68, O59, R156, T204, M18.
Rated R2
numis-kimel/Anna Kimelova 274323857839
4/21/20 6/13/20Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, A, S, PLGAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 316AD
20.0 x 19.0mm 3.00gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI; Sol, standing left, holding outstretched right hand, globe in left hand, chlamys over left shoulder.
Exergue: A, left field; S, right field; PLG, below line.
Lugdunum (Lyons) Mint
RIC VII Lyons 52; Aorta: 2750: B78, O53, R186, T204, M10.
JDP Coins Orland Park, IL/Mid-America Coin & Currency Show
2/14/20 2/24/20Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, C, S, PARLAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 317 - 318AD
21.0mm 3.05gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left hand.
Exergue: C, left field; S, right field; PARL, below line.
Arelate Mint
RIC VII Arles 145, P; Sear 16079; Aorta: 2856: B78, O59, R186, T204, M4.
Rated C1
zurqieh_dubai 391120118427
6/26/15 2/3/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, C, S, RPAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 315 - 316AD
17.0mm 3.10gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI IN-VI-CTO COMITI; Sol, standing left, raising hand and holding globe.
Exergue: C, left field; S, right field; RP, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 40; Sear 16099; Aorta: 2913: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated C2
mar.salomea 151907828849
12/13/15 1/30/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, C, S, TARLAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 317 - 318AD
19.0 x 16.0mm 2.50gr 1h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol, standing left, raising right hand and holding globe.
Exergue: C, left field; S, right field; TARL, below line.
Arelate Mint
RIC VII Arles 150; Sear 16079; Aorta: 2974: B78, O59, R186, T204, M4.
Rated R1
aitorazpietia 321138409739
6/12/13 1/30/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, P, STAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 317 - 318AD
21.0mm 2.68gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVI-C-TO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising hand and holding globe.
Exergue: P, left field; ST, below line.
Ticinum Mint
RIC VII Ticinum 68; Sear 16091; Aorta: 2512: B68, O59, R186, T204, M18.
Rated R1
zurqieh_dubai 391125953110
2/24/16 1/29/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R over X, F, RSAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314 - 315AD
20.0mm 2.48gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe.
Exergue: R over X, left field; F, right field; RS, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 27, S; Sear 16097; Aorta: 2482: B68, O59, R186, T204, M13.
zurqieh_dubai 391120060878
7/23/15 2/3/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R over X, F, RTAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314 - 315AD
20.0mm 2.90gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI: Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: R over X, left field; F, right field; RT, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 28; Sear 16097; Aorta: 2482: B68, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated R5
mar.salomea 151907820063
12/13/15 1/30/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, R(Star)PAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314AD
20.0 x 18.0mm 3.70gr 7h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; R(Star)P, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 19; Sear 16096; Aorta: 2921: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated C3
okta2000-2013 281784191526
9/6/15 1/31/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, R(Star)QAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314AD
21.5 x 18.0mm 3.10gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand, holding globe in outstretched left hand.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; R(Star)Q, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 19; Sear 16096; Aorta: 2922: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
pontos2014/Tim Menabdishvili 174284545921
5/25/20 6/6/20Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, R(Star)SAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314AD
20.0mm 3.65gr 6h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; R(Star)S, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 19; Sear 16096; Aorta: 2923: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated C3
zurqieh_dubai 391120154842
9/2/15 1/31/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, R(Star)TAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 314AD
20.0mm 3.78gr 5h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI IN-V-ICTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left hand.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; R(Star)T, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 19, T; Aorta: 2924: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated C3
zurqieh_dubai 391120195834
6/26/15 2/3/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, RSAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 313AD
21.0mm 3.05gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI: Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; RS, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 2; Sear 16095; Aorta: 2927: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated S
zurqieh_dubai 291434949852
9/3/15 1/31/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, F, RSAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 313AD
22.0mm 2.83gr 7h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI IN-VI-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: R, left field; F, right field; RS, below line.
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 2; Sear 16095; Aorta: 2927: B78, O59, R186, T204, M13.
Rated S
zurqieh_dubai 291438174022
8/29/15 1/31/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, R, S, TARLAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 317AD
18.0mm 2.77gr 5h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INV-I-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left hand; chlamys across left shoulder.
Exergue: R, left field; S, right field; TARL, below line.
Arelate Mint
RIC VII Arles 136; Sear 16081; Aorta: B78, O59, R186, T204, M4.
zuqieh_dubai 291438336561
6/14/15 2/3/17Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, S, F, PLGAE Follis/AE3
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 313 - 314AD
22.5mm 4.30gr 6h
O: CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVI-CTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand, holding globe in left.
Exergue: S, left field; F, right field; PLG, below line.
Lyons Mint
Aorta: 2632: B78, O23, R186, T204, M10.
RIC VII Lyons 6, rated R4; Sear 16066.
Note: Normal bust view is RIC VII Lyons 6; RIC VII Lyons 5, bust seen from behind, is more common.
AgentJim007 CU Ancient and World Coin Forums
1/25/15 2/18/17
Added to WildWinds, February, 2017.Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, T, F, PLNAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 310AD
21.0mm 5.00gr 7h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe.
Exergue: T, left field; F, right field; PLN, below line.
London Mint
RIC VI London 121a; Sear 16046; Aorta: 2475: B68, O59, R186, T204, M9.
Rated C2
ajaan
1/14/16 1/30/17 Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, SOLI INVICTO COMITI, T, F, TARLAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: January - March, 316AD
21.0mm 2.40gr 0h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: SOLI IN-V-ICTO COMITI; Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding globe in left.
Exergue: T over (Star), left field; F, right field; TARL, below line.
Arelate Mint
RIC VII Arles 80; Sear 16076; C-514; Aorta: 2889: B78, O59, R186, T204, M4.
Rated R1Nicholas Z

Constantine I, Follis, VICTORIA AVGG NN, (Dot)TS(Dot)Γ(Dot)AE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 319AD
17.0 x 15.0mm 2.35gr 0h
O: CONSTANTINVS AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: VICTORIA AVGG NN; Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm.
Exergue: (Dot)TS(Dot)Γ(Dot)
Thessalonica Mint
RIC VII Thessalonica 59, Γ; Aorta: 2114: B68, O4, R204, T238, M17.
Rated R3
olympiacoins 111912440111
2/28/16 1/29/17Nicholas Z

Dareios of Media Atropatene (?), ca. 70 BCAR dr., 3,99gr, 19,6mm; Sellwood 35.1var., Shore --, Sunrise 326 (Phraates III.);
mint: Ekbatana; axis: 12h;
obv.: bare-headed, facing, w/broad diadem and 1 broad ribbon on each side of the neck; large puffy tuft of hair in 4 waves on either side of head; mustache, short beard; necklet w/center medallion; cuirass; dotted border 8:30 to 14:30;
rev.: archer, right, on throne, w/bow in one hand; monogram below bow; 7-line legend: BΛΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓΛΛoV APΣ(retrograde)ΛKo(V) (Θ)EoΠΛToPOΣ(retrograde)(last 2 lines to be read from the inside) ΣVEPΓEToV EΠIΦΛNoVΣ (Φ)ΛEΛΛHNoΣ;

There is a possibility that this coin is a forgery

ex: Gorny & Mosch Auction 204, # 1627; ex: B. Peus Auction 311, 1984, #415.Schatz

Diocletian, Eusebeia, year 1Diocletian, 20 November 284 - 1 March 305 A.D., Roman Provincial Egypt. Billon tetradrachm, Milne 4752, Geissen 3204, Curtis 1994, BMC Alexandria 2509, aVF, Alexandria mint, 7.599g, 21.0mm, 0o, 284 - 285 A.D.; obverse “A K G OUAL DIOKLHTIANO”C C“EB”, laureate and cuirassed bust right; reverse L A (year 1), Eusebeia (piety) standing left, veiled, dropping incense on altar with right, acerra in raised left. Ex FORVMPodiceps

Diocletian, Eusebeia, year 1Diocletian, 20 November 284 - 1 March 305 A.D., Roman Provincial Egypt. Billon tetradrachm, Milne 4752, Geissen 3204, Curtis 1994, BMC Alexandria 2509, VF, Alexandria mint, 8.085g, 18.9mm, 0o, 284 - 285 A.D.; obverse “A K G OUAL DIOKLHTIANO”C C“EB”, laureate and cuirassed bust right; reverse, Eusebeia (piety) standing left, veiled, dropping incense on altar with right, acerra in raised left, LA (year 1) left. Ex FORVMPodiceps

Egypt, Alexandria, 014 Nero (54-68 A.D.), RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #1Egypt, Alexandria, 014 Nero (54-68 A.D.), RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #1
avers: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ, Radiate bust of Nero with aegis, right.
reverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, Bust of Alexandria with elephant headdress, right.
exergue: -/LiB//--, diameter: 23,0-24,4mm, weight: 13,11g, axis: 1h,
mint: City: Alexandria, Region: Egypt, Province: Egypt,
date: Dated year (LiB) 12 = 65-66 A.D.,
ref:
RPC I 5289,
Emmet -,
Milne 0238,
Geissen 0172-0174,
Dattari 0204,
Kampmann-Ganschow 014.88,
Q-001quadrans

Egypt, Alexandria, 014 Nero (54-68 A.D.), RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #2Egypt, Alexandria, 014 Nero (54-68 A.D.), RPC I 5289, AR-Tetradrachm, ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, -/LiB//--, Bust of Alexandria right, #2
avers: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ, Radiate bust of Nero with aegis, right.
reverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ, Bust of Alexandria with elephant headdress, right.
exergue: -/LiB//--, diameter: 22,0-23,5mm, weight: 13,37g, axis: 1h,
mint: City: Alexandria, Region: Egypt, Province: Egypt,
date: Dated year (LiB) 12 = 65-66 A.D.,
ref:
RPC I 5289,
Emmet -,
Milne 0238,
Geissen 0172-0174,
Dattari 0204,
Kampmann-Ganschow 014.88,
Q-0021 commentsquadrans

Egypt, Alexandria, AD 284/285, Diocletianus, Eusebeia Diocletianus
Alexandria
Billon-Tetradrachm
Obv.: A K Γ OΥAΛ ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: LA (year 1, 284/285), Eusebeia standing left, dropping incense on altar, Pyxis in raised left hand
Billon, 7.32g, 18.6mm
Ref.: Milne 4752, Geissen 3204, Curtis 1994, BMC 2509
Ex Gitbud&Naumannshanxi

G., Thessaly, Phalanna, (300-190 B.C.), AE-18, SNG Cop 204, ΦAΛANNAIΩN, Head of Nymph Phalanna right,Thessaly, Phalanna, (300-190 B.C.), AE-18, SNG Cop 204, ΦAΛANNAIΩN, Head of Nymph Phalanna right,
avers: No legend, Young male head right.
revers: ΦAΛANNAIΩN, Head of Nymph Phalanna right, hair in sakkos.
exerg: -/-//--, diameter: 18,2mm, weight: 5,31g, axes: 0h,
mint: Thessaly, Phalanna, date: 300-190 B.C., ref: SNG Cop 204, BMC 4-10,
Q-0011 commentsquadrans

Galeria Valeria, Augusta, AD 293(?)-311 Æ Follis, 25mm, 6.4g, 12h; Siscia mint, 1st officina. Struck circa AD 309-310.
Obv.: GAL VALERIA AVG; Diademed bust right, wearing embroidered robes.
Rev.: VENERI V-ICTRICI; Venus standing facing, head left, lifting dress and holding apple; (crescent) / A // SIS.
Reference: RIC VI 204, p. 479John Anthony

Heraclius SolidusAU Solidus
Heraclius 610 - 641 AD - Mint Carthage
Obv: DNERACLIOETERACONSTPP ; Facing busts of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine, wearing chlamys and elaborate crown with cross on top, Heraclius has a short beard and Heraclius Constantine has no beard and is smaller and a Cross between their heads
Rev: VICTORIAAGG(Delta), CONOB in exergue ; Cross Potent on two steps

Ref: W65, S-867 var, DOC-204, Berk-132, MIB-84a, R-1371, BMC-324, BN-3Tanit

Italian States. Venice. Republic. Stahl 6-7, CNI VII, p. 94, 20-23, Plate III, 27; Papadopoli, p. 204, 5.

Billon tornesello, struck under Doge Marco Cornaro (1365-1367), .63 g., 16.85 mm. max., 0°.

Obv: •+• MARC CORN • DVX, central cross pattée.

Rev: + VEXILIFER • VENECIAÊ¯,, winged lion of St. Mark, seated facing, holding a book.Stkp

Judaea. Jewish War Against Rome Hendin 664, Meshorer TJC 204, Meshorer AJC II, 261, 20.

AE Prutah, year 3 (68/69 A.D.) 15-18 mm.

Obv: Amphora with broad rim, two handles, and lid decorated with tiny globes hanging around edge; around שנח שלוש(year three)

Rev: Vine leaf on small branch; around חרות ציון (the freedom of Zion).Stkp

Kallatis, Thrace, c. 300 - 250 B.C.Silver hemidrachm, cf. SNG BM Black Sea 203 - 204, AMNG I 202, aF, Kallatis (Mangalia, Romania) mint, 2.262 grams, 14.3 mm, die axis 0o, c. 300 - 250 B.C.; obverse head of Herakles right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ΚΑΛΛΑΤΙΑ, W(?) over bow in case above, club right over grain ear left below; scarce.

Callatis, on the Black Sea, is today Mangalia, the oldest town in Romania. In Greek Callatis means "the beautiful."

EX; FORVM Ancient Coins.

*With my sincere thank and appreciation , Photo and Description courtesy of FORVM Ancient Coins Staff.Sam

Lugdunum, RIC VII 204, 142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, -/-//PLG, BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe on altar, R4!!!Lugdunum, RIC VII 204, 142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, -/-//PLG, BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe on altar, R4!!!
avers:- DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES, 5a, B1, Laureate bust right.
revers:- BEATA-TRAN-QVILLITAS, Globe set on altar inscribed VOT/IS/XX, above, three stars.
exergo: -/-//PLG, diameter: -mm, weight:-g, axis:-h,
mint: Lugdunum, date: 323 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-134, R4!!!
Q-001quadrans

Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, 17. Julia Domna, HrHJ(2021) 8.17.48.06 corr. (rev. only) Iulia Domna, AD 193-211
AE 17, 3.31g, 16.62mm, 30°
obv. IOV DOM - CEBACT
Bust, draped, r.
rev. NIKOPOLI PROC ICTRO
Big 8-pointed star
ref. a) not in AMNG
b) not in Varbanov
c) not in Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2021):
rev. No. 8.17.48.6 corr. (same die, writes NIKOPOLITWN)
obv. e.g. No. 8.17.1.5 (same die)
VF, scarce
Pedigree:
ex Gorny&Mosch, Auktion 204, 3.5.12, im Lot 2979
1 commentsJochen

Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, X barbaric imitation, 26. Elagabal, HrHJ (2020) 8(?).26(?).48.02 (plate coin)Elagabal, AD 218-222
AE 18, 2.79g, 17.89mm, 315°
obv. [AV K ]M AVR - ANTWNINO[C] (R retrograde)
Bust, draped and cuirassed, laureate, r.
rev. NIKOPO[L]ITWN PROC IC
Crescent with 3 stars in the cavity
ref. a) not in AMNG
b) not in Varbanov
c) Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2018) No. 8(?).26(?).48.1 (this coin)
extremely rare, about VF, dark green patina
pedigree:
ex Gorny&Mosch auction 204, 3.5.12, Lot 2979

The style of the obv. resembles that of No. 8(?).26(?).14.1 (even with the retrograde R). So I could complete the obv. legend.
Jochen

Moneta CldcObverse: IMPCAESMAVRSEVALEXAND(ERAVG)
Bust laureate right, draped and cuirassed
Reverse: MONETA_AVGVSTI, SC left and right in field
Moneta draped, standing front, head left, holding scales in right hand and cornucopiae in left; fold of drapery over left arm; at foot left, die.
BMC 204, RIC 586
weight, 23.79g; die axis, 12h
1 commentsmix_val

Moneta Cldc dupObverse: IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG
Bust laureate right, draped and cuirassed
Reverse: MONETA_AVGVSTI, SC left and right in field
Moneta draped, standing front, head left, holding scales in right hand and cornucopiae in left; fold of drapery over left arm; at foot left, pile of coins.
BMC 204, RIC 586
weight, 18.712g; die axis, 12h

It's hard to discern exactly what the object is at Moneta's right foot. BMC mentions die or stack of coins. I believe that this die shows a stack of coins.mix_val

NeroNERO
BI Tetradrachm, Alexandria Mint
Dated Year 12=65/6 AD.
Radiate bust of Nero wearing aegis / Draped bust of Alexandria in elephant skin headdress, LIB to r.
Milne 238, Köln 172-174; Curtis 36-54, Dattari 204, SGI 633, RPC 5289. Fine.Sosius

Nero - Roman Provincial Egypt Billon tetradrachmObverse: radiate bust of Nero right, wearing aegis
Rev: bust of Alexandria right, wearing elephant head headdress, L IB (year 12) right
Size: 24.2mm Weight: 13.502gm
Minted: Alexandria 26 Aug 65-28 Aug 66 AD
Id#'s: Milne 238, SRCV I 2004, Emmett 109, Geissen 172, Dattari 204, BMC 163, RPC I 5289
Notes: Ex-Forum Ancient Coins 20101 commentsickster

Nero Alexandrian TetNero Billon Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Year 12=65/6 AD. NERW KLAV KAIS SEB GER, radiate bust right, wearing aegis / AVTOKPA, draped bust of Alexandria right in elephant skin headdress, LIB to right. Köln 172-174; Curtis 36-54, Dattari 204, SGI 633, RPC 5289,Milne 238,BMCGr 163Tiberiusjulius

NERO AR Billon Tetradrachm SGI 633; Dattari 204, AlexandriaOBV: NERW KLAV KAIS SEB GER, radiate bust right, wearing aegis
REV: AVTOKPA, draped bust of Alexandria right in elephant skin headdress, LIB to right, year 12
10.8g, 28mm

Minted at Alexandria, Egypt, 65-66 ADLegatus

Nero, RIC 204, Dupondius of c.AD 64 (Victory)Æ Dupondius (12.8g, Ø28mm, 6h). Rome mint. Struck c.AD 64.
Obv.: NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, radiate head right
Rev.: VICTORIA AVGVSTI (around) S C (field) II (ex.), Victory walking right.
RIC 204
Ex D.Ruskin (Oxford, 1995)Charles S

Nero, tetradrachm, Alexandria wearing elephant-skin head-dress reverseNero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D., Roman Provincial Egypt. Billon tetradrachm, Milne 238, Sear 2004, Emmett 109, Geissen 172, Dattari 204, BMC 163, RPC 5289, F, pitting, Alexandria mint, 12.689g, 23.5mm, 0o, 65 - 66 A.D.; obverse ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑΥ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΑΥ, radiate bust right wearing aegis; reverse AVTOKPA, draped bust of Alexandria right wearing elephant-skin head-dress, dated LIB (year 12); ex FORVMPodiceps

Octavian AR Denarius Prow & QuadrigaAR Denarius
Octavian, 27BCE - 14CE
Diameter: 20mm, Weight: 3.52 grams, Die axis: 8h

Obverse: Anepigraphic, Victory standing on prow to right, holding palm branch over her left shoulder and extends laurel wreath in right hand.

Reverse: IMP. CAESAR
Octavian standing in triumphal quadriga to right, holds reigns in left hand and extends (olive or laurel) branch in right hand.

Mint: Either Brundisium or Rome.

References: RIC 264, C115

Notes:
- This historically fascinating denarius celebrates the Battle of Actium in which Agrippa and Octavian triumphed over Antony and Kleopatra. The obverse die is the first of the entire IMP CAESAR series of Octavian; the die is shared with the last of the CAESAR DIVI F denarii of the same design. The reverse may refer to Octavian’s entry into Alexandria following the battle of Actium (31/30 BCE), or the triple triumph subsequently awarded to him in Rome (29BCE) – the dating of the type is still not precisely known.
- After the great struggles between the triumvirs, many soldiers from the vast standing armies needed to be de-commissioned and paid. It is possible that this early type was minted using silver from the Ptolemaic treasury seized by Octavian following the Battle of Actium.
- Brundisium (modern day Brindisi) in southern Italy was Octavian’s naval base, which is where this type may have been minted to pay the soldiers. Alternatively the mint may have been Rome.
- Obverse and reverse die match to LHS Numismatik Auction 103, lot 333, 2008.

Purchased from Praefectus Coins 2015, Ex Nomos Obolos 2 lot 204, 2015

Thank you to Mr Curtis Clay for confirming the die link and providing the published reference to this fact: C.H.V. Sutherland, 1976, Octavian’s Gold and Silver Coinage from c. 32 to 27 B.C.1 commentsPharsalos

Pisidia, Antioch. Septimius Severus. 198-217 AD. Pisidia, Antioch. Septimius Severus. 198-217 AD. AE 22mm (5.21 gm). Obverse: Laureate, head left. Reverse: Mên standing facing, head right, foot on bucranium, holding sceptre and Nike on globe; cock at feet left. SNG France 3, 1118. Cleaning scratches, very fine. Ex Tom Vossen.

De Imperatoribus Romanis
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.)

Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University

Introduction
Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder. However, by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Rome's government. His prudent administration allowed these burdens to be met during his eighteen years on the throne, but his reign was not entirely sunny. The bloodiness with which Severus gained and maintained control of the empire tarnished his generally positive reputation.

Severus' Early Life and Acclamation
Severus was born 11 April 145 in the African city of Lepcis Magna, whose magnificent ruins are located in modern Libya, 130 miles east of Tripoli. Septimius Severus came from a distinguished local family with cousins who received suffect consulships in Rome under Antoninus Pius. The future emperor's father seems not to have held any major offices, but the grandfather may have been the wealthy equestrian Septimius Severus commemorated by the Flavian-era poet Statius.

The future emperor was helped in his early career by one of his consular cousins, who arranged entry into the senate and the favor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Life as a senator meant a life of travel from one government posting to another. Moorish attacks on his intended post of Baetica (southern Spain) forced Severus to serve his quaestorship in Sardinia. He then traveled to Africa as a legate and returned to Rome to be a tribune of the plebs. Around the year 175 he married Paccia Marciana, who seems also to have been of African origin. The childless marriage lasted a decade or so until her death.

Severus' career continued to flourish as the empire passed from Marcus to Commodus. The young senator held a praetorship, then served in Spain, commanded a legion in Syria and held the governorships of Gallia Lugdunensis (central France), Sicily and Upper Pannonia (easternmost Austria and western Hungary). While in Gallia Lugdunensis in 187, the now-widowed future emperor married Julia Domna, a woman from a prominent family of the Syrian city of Emesa. Two sons quickly arrived, eleven months apart: Bassianus (known to history as Caracalla) in April of the year 188, and Geta in March 189.

News of Pertinax's assassination 28 March 193 in an uprising by the praetorian guard quickly reached Pannonia, and only twelve days later on 9 April 193, Severus was proclaimed emperor. Septimius Severus had the strong support of the armies along the Rhine and Danube, but the loyalty of the governor of Britain, Clodius Albinus, was in doubt. Severus' envoys from Pannonia offered Albinus the title of Caesar, which he accepted.

The Civil Wars with Albinus, Niger, and Didius Julianus
In the city of Rome, Didius Julianus gained the support of the praetorian troops and was promoted as the successor to Pertinax. Although Julianus' authority did not extend much beyond Italy, Severus understood that legitimacy for a Roman emperor meant having one's authority accepted in Rome. He and his army began a swift march to the city. They met practically no resistance on their advance from Pannonia into northern Italy, as Julianus' supporters defected. By the beginning of June when Severus reached Interamna, 50 miles north of Rome, even the praetorian guard stationed in the capital switched sides. Didius Julianus was declared a public enemy and killed. Septimius Severus entered Rome without a fight.

Civil war was not yet over. Another provincial governor also had his eyes on the throne. In Syria, Pescennius Niger had been proclaimed emperor on news of Pertinax's death, and the eastern provinces quickly went under his authority. Byzantium became Niger's base of operations as he prepared to fight the armies of the west loyal to Severus.

Niger was unable to maintain further advances into Europe. The fighting moved to the Asian shore of the Propontis, and in late December 193 or early January 194, Niger was defeated in a battle near Nicaea and fled south. Asia and Bithynia fell under Severus' control, and Egypt soon recognized Severus' authority. By late spring, Niger was defeated near Issus and the remainder of his support collapsed. Syria was pacified. Niger was killed fleeing Antioch. Byzantium, however, refused to surrender to Severan forces. Niger's head was sent to the city to persuade the besieged citizens to give up, but to no avail. The Byzantines held out for another year before surrender. As punishment for their stubbornness, the walls of their city were destroyed.

Severus' Eastern Campaigns
During the fighting, two of the peoples of upper Mesopotamia -- the Osrhoeni and the Adiabeni -- captured some Roman garrisons and made an unsuccessful attack on the Roman-allied city of Nisibis. After the defeat of Niger, these peoples offered to return Roman captives and what remained of the seized treasures if the remaining Roman garrisons were removed from the region. Severus refused the offer and prepared for war against the two peoples, as well as against an Arabian tribe that had aided Niger. In the spring of 195, Severus marched an army through the desert into upper Mesopotamia. The native peoples quickly surrendered, and Severus added to his name the victorious titles Arabicus and Adiabenicus. Much of the upper third of Mesopotamia was organized as a Roman province, though the king of Osrhoene was allowed to retain control of a diminished realm.

The tottering Parthian empire was less and less able to control those peoples living in the border regions with Rome. Rome's eastern frontier was entering a period of instability, and Severus responded with an interventionist policy of attack and annexation. Some senators feared that increased involvement in Mesopotamia would only embroil Rome in local squabbles at great expense. The emperor, however, would remain consistent in his active eastern policy.

Legitimization of the Severan Dynasty
Severus also took steps to cement his legitimacy as emperor by connecting himself to the Antonine dynasty. Severus now proclaimed himself the son of Marcus Aurelius, which allowed him to trace his authority, through adoption, back to the emperor Nerva. Julia Domna was awarded the title "Mother of the Camp" (mater castrorum), a title only previously given to the empress Faustina the Younger, Marcus' wife. Bassianus, the emperor's elder son, was renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and given the title Caesar. It was this last step that marked a decisive break with Albinus.

Albinus had remained in Britain as governor during the struggles between Severus and Niger. Although Albinus had not attempted open revolt against the emperor, he seems to have been in communication with senators about future moves. By the end of 195, Albinus was declared a public enemy by Severus. The governor of Britain responded by proclaiming himself emperor and invading Gaul.

A weary Roman populace used the anonymity of the crowd at the chariot races to complain about renewed civil war, but it was Gaul that bore the brunt of the fighting. Albinus and his supporters were able to inflict losses on the occasion of the initial attacks, but disorder was so great that opportunistic soldiers could easily operate on their own within the lands under Albinus' nominal control.

The tide began to turn early in 197, and after a Severan victory at Tournus, Albinus found himself and his army trapped near Lyon. A battle broke out 19 February 197. In the initial fighting, Albinus' troops forced the Severans into retreat, during which Severus fell off his horse. When the Severan cavalry appeared, however, Albinus' army was routed. Lyon was sacked and Albinus, who was trapped in a house along the river Rhône, committed suicide. Severus ordered Albinus' head to be cut off and sent to Rome for display. Many of Albinus' supporters were killed, including a large number of Spanish and Gallic aristocrats. Albinus' wife and children were killed, as were many of the wives of his supporters. Tradition also told of the mutilation of bodies and denial of proper burial. The emperor revealed a penchant for cruelty that troubled even his fervent supporters. A purge of the senate soon followed. Included among the victims was Pertinax's father-in-law, Sulpicianus.

Severus and the Roman Military
Severus brought many changes to the Roman military. Soldiers' pay was increased by half, they were allowed to be married while in service, and greater opportunities were provided for promotion into officer ranks and the civil service. The entire praetorian guard, discredited by the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning of their support to Julianus, was dismissed. The emperor created a new, larger praetorian guard out of provincial soldiers from the legions. Increases were also made to the two other security forces based in Rome: the urban cohorts, who maintained order; and the night watch, who fought fires and dealt with overnight disturbances, break-ins and other petty crime. These military reforms proved expensive, but the measures may well have increased soldiers' performance and morale in an increasingly unsettled age.

One location that remained unsettled was the eastern frontier. In 197 Nisibis had again been under siege, and the emperor prepared for another eastern campaign. Three new legions were raised, though one was left behind in central Italy to maintain order. The Roman armies easily swept through upper Mesopotamia, traveling down the Euphrates to sack Seleucia, Babylon and Ctesiphon, which had been abandoned by the Parthian king Vologaeses V. On 28 January 198 -- the centenary of Trajan's accession -- Severus took the victorious title Parthicus Maximus and promoted both of his sons: Caracalla to the rank of Augustus and Geta to the rank of Caesar.

Before embarking on the eastern campaign, the emperor had named Gaius Fulvius Plautianus as a praetorian prefect. Plautianus came from the emperor's home town of Lepcis, and the prefect may even have been a relative of the emperor. The victories in Mesopotamia were followed by tours of eastern provinces, including Egypt. Plautianus accompanied Severus throughout the travels, and by the year 201 Plautianus was the emperor's closest confidant and advisor. Plautianus was also praetorian prefect without peer after having arranged the murder of his last colleague in the post.

Upon the return to Rome in 202, the influence of Plautianus was at its height. Comparisons were made with Sejanus, the powerful praetorian prefect under the emperor Tiberius. Plautianus, who earlier had been adlected into the senate, was now awarded consular rank, and his daughter Plautilla was married to Caracalla. The wealth Plautianus had acquired from his close connection with the emperor enabled him to provide a dowry said to have been worthy of fifty princesses. Celebrations and games also marked the decennalia, the beginning of the tenth year of Severus' reign. Later in the year the enlarged imperial family traveled to Lepcis, where native sons Severus and Plautianus could display their prestige and power.

The following year the imperial family returned to Rome, where an arch, still standing today, was dedicated to the emperor at the western end of the Forum. Preparations were also being made for the Secular Games, which were thought to have originated in earliest Rome and were to be held every 110 years. Augustus celebrated the Secular Games in 17 B.C., and Domitian in A.D. 88, six years too early. (Claudius used the excuse of Rome's 800th year to hold the games in A.D. 47.) In 204 Severus would preside over ten days of ceremonies and spectacles.

By the end of 204, Plautianus was finding his influence with the emperor on the wane. Caracalla was not happy to be the husband of Plautilla. Julia Domna resented Plautianus' criticisms and investigations against her. Severus was tiring of his praetorian prefect's ostentation, which at times seemed to surpass that of the emperor himself. The emperor's ailing brother, Geta, also denounced Plautianus, and after Geta's death the praetorian prefect found himself being bypassed by the emperor. In January 205 a soldier named Saturninus revealed to the emperor a plot by Plautianus to have Severus and Caracalla killed. Plautianus was summoned to the imperial palace and executed. His children were exiled, and Caracalla divorced Plautilla. Some observers suspected the story of a plot was merely a ruse to cover up long-term plans for Plautianus' removal.

Severus and Roman Law
Two new praetorian prefects were named to replace Plautianus, one of whom was the eminent jurist Papinian. The emperor's position as ultimate appeals judge had brought an ever-increasing legal workload to his office. During the second century, a career path for legal experts was established, and an emperor came to rely heavily upon his consilium, an advisory panel of experienced jurists, in rendering decisions. Severus brought these jurists to even greater prominence. A diligent administrator and conscientious judge, the emperor appreciated legal reasoning and nurtured its development. His reign ushered in the golden age of Roman jurisprudence, and his court employed the talents of the three greatest Roman lawyers: Papinian, Paul and Ulpian.

The order Severus was able to impose on the empire through both the force of arms and the force of law failed to extend to his own family. His now teenaged sons, Caracalla and Geta, displayed a reckless sibling rivalry that sometimes resulted in physical injury. The emperor believed 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.

Severus was now into his 60s. Chronic gout limited his activities and sapped his strength. The emperor's health continued to deteriorate in Britain, and he became ever more intent on trying to improve the bitter relationship between his two sons. He is reported to have given his sons three pieces of advice: "Get along; pay off the soldiers; and disregard everyone else." The first piece of advice would not be heeded.

Severus died in York on 4 February 211 at the age of 65. His reign lasted nearly 18 years, a duration that would not be matched until Diocletian. Culturally and ideologically Septimius Severus connected his reign to the earlier Antonine era, but the reforms he enacted would eventually alter the very character of Roman government. By creating a larger and more expensive army and increasing the influence of lawyers in administration, Severus planted the seeds that would develop into the highly militaristic and bureaucratic government of the later empire.

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

Ptolemaios IV. Philopator 221-205/204, AE3434 mm, 35.9 g
obv: head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia
rev: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia tied with fillet before, ΔI between legs
Svoronos 11272 commentsareich

RIC 0215 TitusObv : IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII, Laureate head left
Rev : AEQVITAS AVGVST / S-C in field; Aequitas standing left holding scales in right hand, sceptre in left hand
AE/As (28.91 mm 11.889 g 5h) Struck in Rome 80-81 A.D.
RIC 215 (C), BMCRE 204, BNF 207
ex Numismatik Naumann Auction 103 lot 5492 commentsFlaviusDomitianus

RIC 085 Domitian as Caesar [Titus] Engraver's ErrorÆ As?, 11.03g
Rome mint, 79 AD
Obv: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS COS VI; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: PAX AVGST (sic); S C in field; Pax stg. l., leaning on column, with caduceus and branch
RIC 85 (R2, note p. 204, this coin). BMC 747 (Vesp.). BNC -.
Ex Harlan J Berk BBS 225, 30 November 2023, lot 82. Ex Curtis Clay Collection. Ex Roman Lode VAuction, 2004.

Titus' first issue of bronze coinage in 79 was quite meager, all are fairly rare today. This first issue Domitian as Caesar bronze is either a dupondius or as - the weight suggests the former, the colour of the metal (copperish) the latter. RIC catalogues this issue under Titus, though it is possible it was struck prior to Vespasian's death in June. The reverse legend features an engraver's error - AVGST instead of AVGVST, cited in RIC.

NB: It must be mentioned that engraving errors during Titus' reign were extremely rare.4 commentsDavid Atherton

Roman Empire, Crispus, Caesar, 1 March 317 - 326 A.D.Billon centenionalis, unpublished obverse variant; cf. Bastien Lyon XIII, 155-6 and 159-61; RIC VII Lyons 202 - 204, gF, 1st officina, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, weight 3.451g, maximum diameter 18.8mm, die axis 0o, as caesar, 322 - 323 A.D.; obverse IVL CRISPVS NOB C, laureate and cuirassed bust left, spear pointed forward in right, shield in left; reverse BEAT TRAN-Q-LITAS, globe on altar inscribed VOT/IS / XX in three lines, three stars above, PLG in exergue; from the Dr. Sam Mansourati Collection

Certificate of Authenticity issued by David R. Sear. David Sear notes, "a previously unpublished variant of the series listed by Bastien (Le Monnayage de l'Atelier de Lyon) on pages 163 and 164, numbers 155-6 and 159-61 (cf. RIC vii, p. 134, 202-4)...good F, rare and interesting as an unpublished obverse variant."1 commentsJoe Sermarini

ROMAN EMPIRE, Domitian, DenariusSilver denarius, 21 mm, Rome before September 86 A.D. RIC 80, Carradice 86.2, RSC 204, BMCRE page 319 note, R.D. 1 specimen.
IMP·CAES·DOMIT·AVG·GERM·P·M·TR·P·V· laureate head right
IMP·XII·COS·XII· CENS·P·P·P· Minerva 2
FORVM AUCTIONS

Roman Empire, Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•εSIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #2139 Helena (? -329 A.D.), AE-3 Follis, Siscia, RIC VII 204, -/-//•ÎµSIS•, SECVRITAS REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, R1!, #2
avers:- FL-HELENA-AVGVSTA, 12,E10, Diademed, draped bust right, with two-row necklace.
revers:- SECVRITAS-REIPVBLICA, Securitas standing left, lowering branch with left hand, raising robe with right hand.
exergo: -/-//•ÎµSIS•, diameter: 20mm, weight: 3,24g, axis: 0h,
mint: Siscia, date: 326-27 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-204, p-450, R1,
Q-002quadrans

S.865 Æthelred II (Leofthegn)Styca of Æthelred II, king of Northumbria (first reign) 841-844
Moneyer: Leofthegn
Mint: York (presumably)
S. 865
Pirie 204, Phase II Group A
O: +EDELRED REX
R: +LEOFDEJN
Motif: 1b(var)/1

The obverse die from this coin was also used to strike coins by the moneyers Monne and Odilo.

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

Severus Alexander DenariusSilver denarius, SRCV II 7891, RIC IV 5, BMCRE VI 13, RSC III 204, VF, Rome mint, 222 A.D.; obverse IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, from behind; reverse P M TR P COS P P, Jupiter standing left, thunderbolt in right, long vertical scepter in leftPhiloromaos

Shapur II (309-397 CE) drachm (AR)Obv.: Pahlavi legend (Crowned bust right) Rev.: Fire altar flanked by attendants, bust right in flames Weight: 4.04 g. Diameter: 22 mm. Reference: SNS III Type Ib1/3a; Göbl Type Ia/6a Provenance: Ex CNG e-auction 362, ex Prof. dr. Andreas Urs Sommer (Gorny & Mosch 204, 5 March 2012), lot 1647.Nick.vdw

Syracuse, SicilyReign of Hiketas
288 - 279 B.C.
Bronze AE 18
3.92 gm, 18 mm
Obv.: Laureate and beardless head of Zeus Hellanios left, boarder of dots; [Î”IOÎ£ EÎ›Î›ANIOÎ¥] left
Rev.: Eagle to left with spread wings on thunderbolt, Î£YPAK-OÎ£IÎ©N
BMC Sicily p.204, 468v; Sear 1211vJaimelai

The London Mint. CT 8.11.017 (2) (this coin); RIC VII -Crispus, as Caesar, BI Nummus. London, AD 317-318. FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES, laureate and cuirassed bust right / PRINCIPIA IVVENTVTIS, Emperor, in military dress, standing right, cloak spread, holding transverse spear and globe; crescent in left field, PLN in exergue. 3.23g, 19mm, 5h.

Ex Paul DiMarzio Collection (CNG eAuction 526, 2nd November 2022, Lot 706).
Previously purchased from Lee Toone (Hookmoor Ancient Coins), 28th May 2018.
Ex J.S. Vogelaar Collection (CNG eAuction 204, 11th February 2009, Lot 290).

CT Rarity: RR (two known examples).Paulus J

Titus (80-81 AD) AE DupondiusRoman Imperial, Titus (80-81 AD) AE Dupondius

Obverse: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII, Radiate head left.

Reverse: SALVS AVG, SC, Salus seated left on throne, holding patera.

Reference: RIC 204, Cohen 195, Sear RCV 2541
Gil-galad

[1001a] Septimius Severus, 9 April 193 - 4 February 211 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC 32, RSC 301, VF, 2.966g, 16.8mm, 180o, Rome mint, 194 A.D.; obverse L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP III, laureate head right; reverse LIBERO PATRI, Liber (Bacchus) standing left, in right ocnochoe over panther, thysus in left; excellent portrait; scarce. Ex FORVM.

De Imperatoribus Romanis
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.)

Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University

Introduction
Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder. However, by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Rome's government. His prudent administration allowed these burdens to be met during his eighteen years on the throne, but his reign was not entirely sunny. The bloodiness with which Severus gained and maintained control of the empire tarnished his generally positive reputation.

Severus' Early Life and Acclamation
Severus was born 11 April 145 in the African city of Lepcis Magna, whose magnificent ruins are located in modern Libya, 130 miles east of Tripoli. Septimius Severus came from a distinguished local family with cousins who received suffect consulships in Rome under Antoninus Pius. The future emperor's father seems not to have held any major offices, but the grandfather may have been the wealthy equestrian Septimius Severus commemorated by the Flavian-era poet Statius.

The future emperor was helped in his early career by one of his consular cousins, who arranged entry into the senate and the favor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Life as a senator meant a life of travel from one government posting to another. Moorish attacks on his intended post of Baetica (southern Spain) forced Severus to serve his quaestorship in Sardinia. He then traveled to Africa as a legate and returned to Rome to be a tribune of the plebs. Around the year 175 he married Paccia Marciana, who seems also to have been of African origin. The childless marriage lasted a decade or so until her death.

Severus' career continued to flourish as the empire passed from Marcus to Commodus. The young senator held a praetorship, then served in Spain, commanded a legion in Syria and held the governorships of Gallia Lugdunensis (central France), Sicily and Upper Pannonia (easternmost Austria and western Hungary). While in Gallia Lugdunensis in 187, the now-widowed future emperor married Julia Domna, a woman from a prominent family of the Syrian city of Emesa. Two sons quickly arrived, eleven months apart: Bassianus (known to history as Caracalla) in April of the year 188, and Geta in March 189.

News of Pertinax's assassination 28 March 193 in an uprising by the praetorian guard quickly reached Pannonia, and only twelve days later on 9 April 193, Severus was proclaimed emperor. Septimius Severus had the strong support of the armies along the Rhine and Danube, but the loyalty of the governor of Britain, Clodius Albinus, was in doubt. Severus' envoys from Pannonia offered Albinus the title of Caesar, which he accepted.

The Civil Wars with Albinus, Niger, and Didius Julianus
In the city of Rome, Didius Julianus gained the support of the praetorian troops and was promoted as the successor to Pertinax. Although Julianus' authority did not extend much beyond Italy, Severus understood that legitimacy for a Roman emperor meant having one's authority accepted in Rome. He and his army began a swift march to the city. They met practically no resistance on their advance from Pannonia into northern Italy, as Julianus' supporters defected. By the beginning of June when Severus reached Interamna, 50 miles north of Rome, even the praetorian guard stationed in the capital switched sides. Didius Julianus was declared a public enemy and killed. Septimius Severus entered Rome without a fight.

Civil war was not yet over. Another provincial governor also had his eyes on the throne. In Syria, Pescennius Niger had been proclaimed emperor on news of Pertinax's death, and the eastern provinces quickly went under his authority. Byzantium became Niger's base of operations as he prepared to fight the armies of the west loyal to Severus.

Niger was unable to maintain further advances into Europe. The fighting moved to the Asian shore of the Propontis, and in late December 193 or early January 194, Niger was defeated in a battle near Nicaea and fled south. Asia and Bithynia fell under Severus' control, and Egypt soon recognized Severus' authority. By late spring, Niger was defeated near Issus and the remainder of his support collapsed. Syria was pacified. Niger was killed fleeing Antioch. Byzantium, however, refused to surrender to Severan forces. Niger's head was sent to the city to persuade the besieged citizens to give up, but to no avail. The Byzantines held out for another year before surrender. As punishment for their stubbornness, the walls of their city were destroyed.

Severus' Eastern Campaigns
During the fighting, two of the peoples of upper Mesopotamia -- the Osrhoeni and the Adiabeni -- captured some Roman garrisons and made an unsuccessful attack on the Roman-allied city of Nisibis. After the defeat of Niger, these peoples offered to return Roman captives and what remained of the seized treasures if the remaining Roman garrisons were removed from the region. Severus refused the offer and prepared for war against the two peoples, as well as against an Arabian tribe that had aided Niger. In the spring of 195, Severus marched an army through the desert into upper Mesopotamia. The native peoples quickly surrendered, and Severus added to his name the victorious titles Arabicus and Adiabenicus. Much of the upper third of Mesopotamia was organized as a Roman province, though the king of Osrhoene was allowed to retain control of a diminished realm.

The tottering Parthian empire was less and less able to control those peoples living in the border regions with Rome. Rome's eastern frontier was entering a period of instability, and Severus responded with an interventionist policy of attack and annexation. Some senators feared that increased involvement in Mesopotamia would only embroil Rome in local squabbles at great expense. The emperor, however, would remain consistent in his active eastern policy.

Legitimization of the Severan Dynasty
Severus also took steps to cement his legitimacy as emperor by connecting himself to the Antonine dynasty. Severus now proclaimed himself the son of Marcus Aurelius, which allowed him to trace his authority, through adoption, back to the emperor Nerva. Julia Domna was awarded the title "Mother of the Camp" (mater castrorum), a title only previously given to the empress Faustina the Younger, Marcus' wife. Bassianus, the emperor's elder son, was renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and given the title Caesar. It was this last step that marked a decisive break with Albinus.

Albinus had remained in Britain as governor during the struggles between Severus and Niger. Although Albinus had not attempted open revolt against the emperor, he seems to have been in communication with senators about future moves. By the end of 195, Albinus was declared a public enemy by Severus. The governor of Britain responded by proclaiming himself emperor and invading Gaul.

A weary Roman populace used the anonymity of the crowd at the chariot races to complain about renewed civil war, but it was Gaul that bore the brunt of the fighting. Albinus and his supporters were able to inflict losses on the occasion of the initial attacks, but disorder was so great that opportunistic soldiers could easily operate on their own within the lands under Albinus' nominal control.

The tide began to turn early in 197, and after a Severan victory at Tournus, Albinus found himself and his army trapped near Lyon. A battle broke out 19 February 197. In the initial fighting, Albinus' troops forced the Severans into retreat, during which Severus fell off his horse. When the Severan cavalry appeared, however, Albinus' army was routed. Lyon was sacked and Albinus, who was trapped in a house along the river Rhône, committed suicide. Severus ordered Albinus' head to be cut off and sent to Rome for display. Many of Albinus' supporters were killed, including a large number of Spanish and Gallic aristocrats. Albinus' wife and children were killed, as were many of the wives of his supporters. Tradition also told of the mutilation of bodies and denial of proper burial. The emperor revealed a penchant for cruelty that troubled even his fervent supporters. A purge of the senate soon followed. Included among the victims was Pertinax's father-in-law, Sulpicianus.

Severus and the Roman Military
Severus brought many changes to the Roman military. Soldiers' pay was increased by half, they were allowed to be married while in service, and greater opportunities were provided for promotion into officer ranks and the civil service. The entire praetorian guard, discredited by the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning of their support to Julianus, was dismissed. The emperor created a new, larger praetorian guard out of provincial soldiers from the legions. Increases were also made to the two other security forces based in Rome: the urban cohorts, who maintained order; and the night watch, who fought fires and dealt with overnight disturbances, break-ins and other petty crime. These military reforms proved expensive, but the measures may well have increased soldiers' performance and morale in an increasingly unsettled age.

One location that remained unsettled was the eastern frontier. In 197 Nisibis had again been under siege, and the emperor prepared for another eastern campaign. Three new legions were raised, though one was left behind in central Italy to maintain order. The Roman armies easily swept through upper Mesopotamia, traveling down the Euphrates to sack Seleucia, Babylon and Ctesiphon, which had been abandoned by the Parthian king Vologaeses V. On 28 January 198 -- the centenary of Trajan's accession -- Severus took the victorious title Parthicus Maximus and promoted both of his sons: Caracalla to the rank of Augustus and Geta to the rank of Caesar.

Before embarking on the eastern campaign, the emperor had named Gaius Fulvius Plautianus as a praetorian prefect. Plautianus came from the emperor's home town of Lepcis, and the prefect may even have been a relative of the emperor. The victories in Mesopotamia were followed by tours of eastern provinces, including Egypt. Plautianus accompanied Severus throughout the travels, and by the year 201 Plautianus was the emperor's closest confidant and advisor. Plautianus was also praetorian prefect without peer after having arranged the murder of his last colleague in the post.

Upon the return to Rome in 202, the influence of Plautianus was at its height. Comparisons were made with Sejanus, the powerful praetorian prefect under the emperor Tiberius. Plautianus, who earlier had been adlected into the senate, was now awarded consular rank, and his daughter Plautilla was married to Caracalla. The wealth Plautianus had acquired from his close connection with the emperor enabled him to provide a dowry said to have been worthy of fifty princesses. Celebrations and games also marked the decennalia, the beginning of the tenth year of Severus' reign. Later in the year the enlarged imperial family traveled to Lepcis, where native sons Severus and Plautianus could display their prestige and power.

The following year the imperial family returned to Rome, where an arch, still standing today, was dedicated to the emperor at the western end of the Forum. Preparations were also being made for the Secular Games, which were thought to have originated in earliest Rome and were to be held every 110 years. Augustus celebrated the Secular Games in 17 B.C., and Domitian in A.D. 88, six years too early. (Claudius used the excuse of Rome's 800th year to hold the games in A.D. 47.) In 204 Severus would preside over ten days of ceremonies and spectacles.

By the end of 204, Plautianus was finding his influence with the emperor on the wane. Caracalla was not happy to be the husband of Plautilla. Julia Domna resented Plautianus' criticisms and investigations against her. Severus was tiring of his praetorian prefect's ostentation, which at times seemed to surpass that of the emperor himself. The emperor's ailing brother, Geta, also denounced Plautianus, and after Geta's death the praetorian prefect found himself being bypassed by the emperor. In January 205 a soldier named Saturninus revealed to the emperor a plot by Plautianus to have Severus and Caracalla killed. Plautianus was summoned to the imperial palace and executed. His children were exiled, and Caracalla divorced Plautilla. Some observers suspected the story of a plot was merely a ruse to cover up long-term plans for Plautianus' removal.

Severus and Roman Law
Two new praetorian prefects were named to replace Plautianus, one of whom was the eminent jurist Papinian. The emperor's position as ultimate appeals judge had brought an ever-increasing legal workload to his office. During the second century, a career path for legal experts was established, and an emperor came to rely heavily upon his consilium, an advisory panel of experienced jurists, in rendering decisions. Severus brought these jurists to even greater prominence. A diligent administrator and conscientious judge, the emperor appreciated legal reasoning and nurtured its development. His reign ushered in the golden age of Roman jurisprudence, and his court employed the talents of the three greatest Roman lawyers: Papinian, Paul and Ulpian.

The order Severus was able to impose on the empire through both the force of arms and the force of law failed to extend to his own family. His now teenaged sons, Caracalla and Geta, displayed a reckless sibling rivalry that sometimes resulted in physical injury. The emperor believed 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.

Severus was now into his 60s. Chronic gout limited his activities and sapped his strength. The emperor's health continued to deteriorate in Britain, and he became ever more intent on trying to improve the bitter relationship between his two sons. He is reported to have given his sons three pieces of advice: "Get along; pay off the soldiers; and disregard everyone else." The first piece of advice would not be heeded.

Severus died in York on 4 February 211 at the age of 65. His reign lasted nearly 18 years, a duration that would not be matched until Diocletian. Culturally and ideologically Septimius Severus connected his reign to the earlier Antonine era, but the reforms he enacted would eventually alter the very character of Roman government. By creating a larger and more expensive army and increasing the influence of lawyers in administration, Severus planted the seeds that would develop into the highly militaristic and bureaucratic government of the later empire.

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.1 commentsCleisthenes

[1001b] Septimius Severus, 9 April 193 - 4 February 211 A.D.Septimius Severus, 9 April 193 - 4 February 211 A.D., Silver denarius, RIC 119A. aF. Rome. Obverse: L. SEP. SEVERVS PER. AVG. P. M. IMP. XI, His bearded and laureated head right. Reverse: SALVTI AVGG. Salus seated left feeding serpent arising from altar(?). Scarce. Ex FORVM.

De Imperatoribus Romanis
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.)

Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University

Introduction
Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder. However, by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Rome's government. His prudent administration allowed these burdens to be met during his eighteen years on the throne, but his reign was not entirely sunny. The bloodiness with which Severus gained and maintained control of the empire tarnished his generally positive reputation.

Severus' Early Life and Acclamation
Severus was born 11 April 145 in the African city of Lepcis Magna, whose magnificent ruins are located in modern Libya, 130 miles east of Tripoli. Septimius Severus came from a distinguished local family with cousins who received suffect consulships in Rome under Antoninus Pius. The future emperor's father seems not to have held any major offices, but the grandfather may have been the wealthy equestrian Septimius Severus commemorated by the Flavian-era poet Statius.

The future emperor was helped in his early career by one of his consular cousins, who arranged entry into the senate and the favor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Life as a senator meant a life of travel from one government posting to another. Moorish attacks on his intended post of Baetica (southern Spain) forced Severus to serve his quaestorship in Sardinia. He then traveled to Africa as a legate and returned to Rome to be a tribune of the plebs. Around the year 175 he married Paccia Marciana, who seems also to have been of African origin. The childless marriage lasted a decade or so until her death.

Severus' career continued to flourish as the empire passed from Marcus to Commodus. The young senator held a praetorship, then served in Spain, commanded a legion in Syria and held the governorships of Gallia Lugdunensis (central France), Sicily and Upper Pannonia (easternmost Austria and western Hungary). While in Gallia Lugdunensis in 187, the now-widowed future emperor married Julia Domna, a woman from a prominent family of the Syrian city of Emesa. Two sons quickly arrived, eleven months apart: Bassianus (known to history as Caracalla) in April of the year 188, and Geta in March 189.

News of Pertinax's assassination 28 March 193 in an uprising by the praetorian guard quickly reached Pannonia, and only twelve days later on 9 April 193, Severus was proclaimed emperor. Septimius Severus had the strong support of the armies along the Rhine and Danube, but the loyalty of the governor of Britain, Clodius Albinus, was in doubt. Severus' envoys from Pannonia offered Albinus the title of Caesar, which he accepted.

The Civil Wars with Albinus, Niger, and Didius Julianus
In the city of Rome, Didius Julianus gained the support of the praetorian troops and was promoted as the successor to Pertinax. Although Julianus' authority did not extend much beyond Italy, Severus understood that legitimacy for a Roman emperor meant having one's authority accepted in Rome. He and his army began a swift march to the city. They met practically no resistance on their advance from Pannonia into northern Italy, as Julianus' supporters defected. By the beginning of June when Severus reached Interamna, 50 miles north of Rome, even the praetorian guard stationed in the capital switched sides. Didius Julianus was declared a public enemy and killed. Septimius Severus entered Rome without a fight.

Civil war was not yet over. Another provincial governor also had his eyes on the throne. In Syria, Pescennius Niger had been proclaimed emperor on news of Pertinax's death, and the eastern provinces quickly went under his authority. Byzantium became Niger's base of operations as he prepared to fight the armies of the west loyal to Severus.

Niger was unable to maintain further advances into Europe. The fighting moved to the Asian shore of the Propontis, and in late December 193 or early January 194, Niger was defeated in a battle near Nicaea and fled south. Asia and Bithynia fell under Severus' control, and Egypt soon recognized Severus' authority. By late spring, Niger was defeated near Issus and the remainder of his support collapsed. Syria was pacified. Niger was killed fleeing Antioch. Byzantium, however, refused to surrender to Severan forces. Niger's head was sent to the city to persuade the besieged citizens to give up, but to no avail. The Byzantines held out for another year before surrender. As punishment for their stubbornness, the walls of their city were destroyed.

Severus' Eastern Campaigns
During the fighting, two of the peoples of upper Mesopotamia -- the Osrhoeni and the Adiabeni -- captured some Roman garrisons and made an unsuccessful attack on the Roman-allied city of Nisibis. After the defeat of Niger, these peoples offered to return Roman captives and what remained of the seized treasures if the remaining Roman garrisons were removed from the region. Severus refused the offer and prepared for war against the two peoples, as well as against an Arabian tribe that had aided Niger. In the spring of 195, Severus marched an army through the desert into upper Mesopotamia. The native peoples quickly surrendered, and Severus added to his name the victorious titles Arabicus and Adiabenicus. Much of the upper third of Mesopotamia was organized as a Roman province, though the king of Osrhoene was allowed to retain control of a diminished realm.

The tottering Parthian empire was less and less able to control those peoples living in the border regions with Rome. Rome's eastern frontier was entering a period of instability, and Severus responded with an interventionist policy of attack and annexation. Some senators feared that increased involvement in Mesopotamia would only embroil Rome in local squabbles at great expense. The emperor, however, would remain consistent in his active eastern policy.

Legitimization of the Severan Dynasty
Severus also took steps to cement his legitimacy as emperor by connecting himself to the Antonine dynasty. Severus now proclaimed himself the son of Marcus Aurelius, which allowed him to trace his authority, through adoption, back to the emperor Nerva. Julia Domna was awarded the title "Mother of the Camp" (mater castrorum), a title only previously given to the empress Faustina the Younger, Marcus' wife. Bassianus, the emperor's elder son, was renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and given the title Caesar. It was this last step that marked a decisive break with Albinus.

Albinus had remained in Britain as governor during the struggles between Severus and Niger. Although Albinus had not attempted open revolt against the emperor, he seems to have been in communication with senators about future moves.[[3]] By the end of 195, Albinus was declared a public enemy by Severus. The governor of Britain responded by proclaiming himself emperor and invading Gaul.

A weary Roman populace used the anonymity of the crowd at the chariot races to complain about renewed civil war, but it was Gaul that bore the brunt of the fighting. Albinus and his supporters were able to inflict losses on the occasion of the initial attacks, but disorder was so great that opportunistic soldiers could easily operate on their own within the lands under Albinus' nominal control.

The tide began to turn early in 197, and after a Severan victory at Tournus, Albinus found himself and his army trapped near Lyon. A battle broke out 19 February 197. In the initial fighting, Albinus' troops forced the Severans into retreat, during which Severus fell off his horse. When the Severan cavalry appeared, however, Albinus' army was routed. Lyon was sacked and Albinus, who was trapped in a house along the river Rhône, committed suicide. Severus ordered Albinus' head to be cut off and sent to Rome for display. Many of Albinus' supporters were killed, including a large number of Spanish and Gallic aristocrats. Albinus' wife and children were killed, as were many of the wives of his supporters. Tradition also told of the mutilation of bodies and denial of proper burial. The emperor revealed a penchant for cruelty that troubled even his fervent supporters. A purge of the senate soon followed. Included among the victims was Pertinax's father-in-law, Sulpicianus.

Severus and the Roman Military
Severus brought many changes to the Roman military. Soldiers' pay was increased by half, they were allowed to be married while in service, and greater opportunities were provided for promotion into officer ranks and the civil service. The entire praetorian guard, discredited by the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning of their support to Julianus, was dismissed. The emperor created a new, larger praetorian guard out of provincial soldiers from the legions. Increases were also made to the two other security forces based in Rome: the urban cohorts, who maintained order; and the night watch, who fought fires and dealt with overnight disturbances, break-ins and other petty crime. These military reforms proved expensive, but the measures may well have increased soldiers' performance and morale in an increasingly unsettled age.

One location that remained unsettled was the eastern frontier. In 197 Nisibis had again been under siege, and the emperor prepared for another eastern campaign. Three new legions were raised, though one was left behind in central Italy to maintain order. The Roman armies easily swept through upper Mesopotamia, traveling down the Euphrates to sack Seleucia, Babylon and Ctesiphon, which had been abandoned by the Parthian king Vologaeses V. On 28 January 198 -- the centenary of Trajan's accession -- Severus took the victorious title Parthicus Maximus and promoted both of his sons: Caracalla to the rank of Augustus and Geta to the rank of Caesar.

Before embarking on the eastern campaign, the emperor had named Gaius Fulvius Plautianus as a praetorian prefect. Plautianus came from the emperor's home town of Lepcis, and the prefect may even have been a relative of the emperor. The victories in Mesopotamia were followed by tours of eastern provinces, including Egypt. Plautianus accompanied Severus throughout the travels, and by the year 201 Plautianus was the emperor's closest confidant and advisor. Plautianus was also praetorian prefect without peer after having arranged the murder of his last colleague in the post.

Upon the return to Rome in 202, the influence of Plautianus was at its height. Comparisons were made with Sejanus, the powerful praetorian prefect under the emperor Tiberius. Plautianus, who earlier had been adlected into the senate, was now awarded consular rank, and his daughter Plautilla was married to Caracalla. The wealth Plautianus had acquired from his close connection with the emperor enabled him to provide a dowry said to have been worthy of fifty princesses. Celebrations and games also marked the decennalia, the beginning of the tenth year of Severus' reign. Later in the year the enlarged imperial family traveled to Lepcis, where native sons Severus and Plautianus could display their prestige and power.

The following year the imperial family returned to Rome, where an arch, still standing today, was dedicated to the emperor at the western end of the Forum. Preparations were also being made for the Secular Games, which were thought to have originated in earliest Rome and were to be held every 110 years. Augustus celebrated the Secular Games in 17 B.C., and Domitian in A.D. 88, six years too early. (Claudius used the excuse of Rome's 800th year to hold the games in A.D. 47.) In 204 Severus would preside over ten days of ceremonies and spectacles.

By the end of 204, Plautianus was finding his influence with the emperor on the wane. Caracalla was not happy to be the husband of Plautilla. Julia Domna resented Plautianus' criticisms and investigations against her. Severus was tiring of his praetorian prefect's ostentation, which at times seemed to surpass that of the emperor himself. The emperor's ailing brother, Geta, also denounced Plautianus, and after Geta's death the praetorian prefect found himself being bypassed by the emperor. In January 205 a soldier named Saturninus revealed to the emperor a plot by Plautianus to have Severus and Caracalla killed. Plautianus was summoned to the imperial palace and executed. His children were exiled, and Caracalla divorced Plautilla. Some observers suspected the story of a plot was merely a ruse to cover up long-term plans for Plautianus' removal.

Severus and Roman Law
Two new praetorian prefects were named to replace Plautianus, one of whom was the eminent jurist Papinian. The emperor's position as ultimate appeals judge had brought an ever-increasing legal workload to his office. During the second century, a career path for legal experts was established, and an emperor came to rely heavily upon his consilium, an advisory panel of experienced jurists, in rendering decisions. Severus brought these jurists to even greater prominence. A diligent administrator and conscientious judge, the emperor appreciated legal reasoning and nurtured its development. His reign ushered in the golden age of Roman jurisprudence, and his court employed the talents of the three greatest Roman lawyers: Papinian, Paul and Ulpian.

The order Severus was able to impose on the empire through both the force of arms and the force of law failed to extend to his own family. His now teenaged sons, Caracalla and Geta, displayed a reckless sibling rivalry that sometimes resulted in physical injury. The emperor believed 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.

Severus was now into his 60s. Chronic gout limited his activities and sapped his strength. The emperor's health continued to deteriorate in Britain, and he became ever more intent on trying to improve the bitter relationship between his two sons. He is reported to have given his sons three pieces of advice: "Get along; pay off the soldiers; and disregard everyone else." The first piece of advice would not be heeded.

Severus died in York on 4 February 211 at the age of 65. His reign lasted nearly 18 years, a duration that would not be matched until Diocletian. Culturally and ideologically Septimius Severus connected his reign to the earlier Antonine era, but the reforms he enacted would eventually alter the very character of Roman government. By creating a larger and more expensive army and increasing the influence of lawyers in administration, Severus planted the seeds that would develop into the highly militaristic and bureaucratic government of the later empire.

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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