| Image search results - "Vestal" |
030d. Wives of ElagabalusJulia Paula was the first wife of Elagabalus. Married in early 219, soon after he arrived in Rome. Divorced in 220 or possibly very early 221.
Aquilia Severa was the second and fourth wife of Elagabalus. Aquilia was a Vestal Virgin who was forbidden to marry. Nevertheless, Elagabalus went ahead with the marriage despite opposition from the Roman ruling class. This opposition became significant enough that his grandmother coerced him into divorcing Aquilia and marrying Annia Faustina. After a very short time, Elagabalus divorced her and returned to Aquilia.
Annia Faustina was the Great-granddaughter of Marcus Aurelius and third wife of Elagabalus who was coerced into marrying her. She reportedly was considerably older than him. He divorced her in less than a year and returned to Aquilia Severa.lawrence c
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196_Julia_Domna_As_RIC_892a_1Julia Domna (ca. 170 – 217 AD)
AE As/Dupondius, Rome, 196 – 209
IVLIA AVGVSTA;
Bust draped right, hair waved and coiled at back
VESTA MATER, SC in exergue;
Six Vestals sacrificing in front of temple of Vesta
10,68 gr, 27 mm
RIC IVa, 892a; BMC V, 796 note; C. 243
Ex iNumis, Mail Bid Sale 22, lot 209ga77
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1cb Aquilla SeveraDenarius
Draped bust, right, IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG
Aquilla & Elagabalus, CONCORDIA
Elagabalus married this Vestal Virgin in 220, divorced her a year later, dumped the next wife, and married her again.
RIC 228Blindado
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201a. Julia DomnaVesta
Vesta was introduced in Rome by King Numa Pompilius. She was a native Roman deity (some authors suggest received from the Sabine cults), sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Demeter, and presumably the daughter of Saturn and Ops (or Rea). However, the similarity with the cult of Greek Hestia is notable. Vesta too protected familial harmony and the res publica. Apollo and Neptune had asked for her in marriage, but she refused both, preferring to preserve her virginity, whose symbol was the perpetually lit fire in her circular fane next to the Forum which the Romans always distinguished from a temple by calling it her "house".
As Goddess of the Hearth she was the symbol of the home, around which a newborn child must be carried before it could be received into the family. Every meal began and ended with an offering to her:
Vesta, in all dwellings of men and immortals
Yours is the highest honor, the sweet wine offered
First and last at the feast, poured out to you duly.
Never without you can gods or mortals hold banquet.
Landscape with Vesta temple in Tivoli, Italy, c. 1600.Each city too had a public hearth sacred to Vesta, where the fire was never allowed to go out. If a colony was to be founded, the colonists carried with them coals from the hearth of the mother-city with which to kindle the fire on the new city's hearth.
The fire was guarded by her priestesses, the Vestales. Every March 1 the fire was renewed. It burned until 391, when the Emperor Theodosius I forbade public pagan worship. One of the Vestales was Rea Silvia, who with Mars conceived Romulus and Remus (see founding of Rome).
3070. Silver denarius, RIC 538, RSC 221, VF, 2.30g, 17.5mm, 0o, Rome mint, 193-196 A.D.; obverse IVLIA DOMNA AVG, draped bust right; reverse VESTA, Vesta seated left, holding palladium and scepter. Ex Forum
ecoli
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204. ElagabalusElagabalus was and is one of the most controversial Roman emperors. During his reign he showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. Elagabalus' name is a Latinized form of the Semitic deity El-Gabal, a manifestation of the Semitic deity Ēl. He replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus, which in Latin means "the Sun, God Unconquered". Elagabalus forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating Sol invictus which he personally led.
He also took a Vestal Virgin as one of a succession of wives and openly boasted that his sexual interest in men was more than just a casual pastime, as it had been for previous emperors.
Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for eccentricity, decadence, and zealotry which was likely exaggerated by his successors. This black propaganda was passed on and as such he was one of the most reviled Roman emperors to early Christian historians and later became a hero to the Decadent movement of the late 19th century.
Elagabalus Denarius. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, and draped bust right / PM TR P IIII COS III P P, Elagabalus standing left sacrificing out of patera over lighted altar & holding branch, star left. RIC 46, RSC 196ecoli
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204b. Julia MaesaJulia Maesa (about 170- about 226) was daughter of Julius Bassianus, priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa in the Roman province of Syria, and grandmother of the Roman emperor Elagabalus. Like her younger sister Julia Domna, she was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman empire.
Julia Maesa was married to Julius Avitus and had two daughters, Julia Mamaea and Julia Soaemias, each one mother of an emperor. Following the accession to the throne of her brother in law Septimius Severus, Julia Maesa moved to Rome to live with her sister. After the murder of her nephew Caracalla, and the suicide of Julia Domna, she was compelled to return to Syria. But the new emperor Macrinus did not proscribe her and allowed her to keep her money. In Syria, Maesa engaged in a plot to overthrow Macrinus and place one of her grandsons, Elagabalus son of Julia Soaemias, in his place. In order to legitimise this pretension, mother and daughter rumoured that the 14-year-old boy was Caracalla's illegitimate son. The Julias were successful, mainly due to the fact that Macrinus was of an obscure origin without the proper political connections, and Elagabalus became emperor.
For her loyalty and support, Elagabalus honored Julia Maesa with the title Augusta avia Augusti (Augusta, grandmother of Augustus). When the teenager proved to be a disaster as emperor (even taking the liberty of marrying a Vestal virgin), Julia Maesa decided to promote Alexander Severus, another of her grandsons. Elagabalus was forced to adopt Alexander as son and was murdered shortly afterwards.
Julia Maesa died in an uncertain date around 226 AD and, like her sister Domna before her, was deified.
Julia Maesa Denarius. PVDICITIA, Pudicitia seated left, raising veil and holding sceptre.
Julia Maesa Denarius. IVLIA MAESA AVG, draped bust right / PVDICITIA, Pudicitia seated left, raising veil and holding sceptre. RIC 268, RSC 36. s2183. No.1502. nVF.
RSC 444, RIC 88ecoli
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204d. Aquilia SeveraAquilia Severa
As part of this marriage of gods, Elagabalus married one of the Vestal Virgins, Julia Aquilia Severa (AD 220). In earlier days sexual relations with a Vestal Virgins meant the immediate death penalty for both her and her lover, then this marriage of the emperor only further enraged public opinion. Although the marriage between Elagabalus and Aquilia Severa went ahead, the emperor's religious aspirations for El-Gabal had to be abandoned, for fear of the public's reaction. Instead the god El-Gabal, by now known to the Romans as Elagabalus - the same name used for their emperor, - was 'married' to the less controversial moon goddess Urania.
EGYPT, Alexandria. Potin Tetradrachm (25mm, 14.54 gm). Dated year 5 (221/222 AD). Draped bust right / Eagle standing left, head right, wreath in beak. Köln 2374; Dattari 4188; Milne 2868; Curtis 1016; Emmett 3010. VF, brown patina, rough surfaces. From the Tony Hardy Collection. Ex-CNG ecoli
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220-222 AD - AQUILIA SEVERA AR denariusobv: IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG (draped bust right)
rev: CONCORDIA (Concord standing half-left sacrificing over lighted altar, and holding double cornucopia, star in left field)
ref: RIC IVii 225 (Elagabalus) (S), RSC 2 (20fr.)
mint: Rome
2.71gms, 18mm
Very rare
Iulia Aquilia Severa was the second and fourth wife of Emperor Elagabalus. She was a Vestal Virgin and her marriage to Elagabalus in 220 was the cause of enormous controversy - traditionally, the punishment for breaking the thirty-year vow of celibacy was death. Elagabalus is believed to have had religious reasons for marrying Severa - he himself was a follower of the eastern sun god El-Gabal, and when marrying himself to Severa, he also conducted a symbolic marriage of his god to Vesta.berserker
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3. Mars descends on sleeping Rhea SilviaAntoninus Pius. 138-161 AD. As. Rome mint. Struck 140-144 AD. Obv.: [ANTO]NINVS - AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right. Rev.: TR POT COS [III around] S C [in field], Mars holding spear and shield descends on sleeping Rhea Silvia.
This coin was struck just prior to 900th anniversary of Rome which was celebrated in 147 AD. According to Titus Livius (59BC to AD17) account of the legend, Rhea Silva was the daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa and descendant of Aeneas. Numitor's younger brother Amulius seized the throne and killed Numitor's son. Amulius forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, a priestess to the goddess Vesta, so that the line of Numitor would have no heirs; Vestal Virgins were sworn to celibacy for a period of thirty years. Rhea Silvia claimed that the god Mars, however, came upon her and seduced her in the forest, thereby conceiving the twins Romulus and Remus. When Amulius learned of this, he imprisoned Rhea Silvia. (In another version of the story, he ordered her to be thrown into the Tiber, where she fell into the arms of the river god who married her.) Legend continued on "Wolf suckling twins"...Charles S
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413/1 L. Cassus LonginusL. Cassius Longinus c. 63 B.C. AR Denarius. Rome Mint. c. 63 B.C. (3.81g, 18.6mm, 7h). Obv: Draped bust of Vesta Veiled left, kylix behind, letter before. Rev: Male figure left dropping tablet inscribed V (Uti Rogas) into a Cista, Longin III V behind. Cassia 10. Craw 413/1.
This coin may refer to the law of 113 which set up the special commission, presided over by L. Cassius Longinus Ravilla, for the trial of three delinquent Vestal Virgins. In 137 BC L. Cassius Ravilla proposed a method of voting, known as the Lex Cassia Tabellaria. The letter "V" on the tabella stands for V[ti] Rogas, or uti rogas a vote in favor of a new law. A vote against a new law was designated by the letter "A" (antiquo). L. Cassius Longinus, whose name appears on the coin, was the younger brother of C. Cassius Longinus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.Lucas H
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Antoninus Pius, RIC 694a, As of AD 140-144 (Mars descending on Rhea Silvia)Æ As (7.9g, Ø29mm, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 140-144.
Obv.: (ANTO)NINVS - AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right.
Rev.: TR POT COS (III around) S C (in field), Mars holding spear and shield descends on sleeping Rhea Silvia.
RIC 694a
ex Nomisma (SanMarino, 2001 auction)
This coin is part of a series that was struck just prior to 900th anniversary of Rome in AD 147 and which depict scenes from anctient Roman legends. This type depicts the story where Rhea Silva, the daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa and descendant of Aeneas, who had been forced to become a Vestal Virgin, was seduced in the forest by the god Mars. She conceived twins Romulus and Remus who would become the founders of Rome. Charles S
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Aquilia Severa RIC V, 226Aquilia Severa, reg. AD 220, 2. and 4. wife of Elagabal
AR - Denar, 3.23g, 19.4mm
Rome AD 220 -221
obv. IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG
draped bust, bare head r., hair waved, fixed in plait;
later coiffure without 'visor' (C.Clay)
rev. CONCORDIA
Concordia standing l., holding patera r.and double cornucopiae l.; lightened
altar l. before her
star in r. field
RIC V/2, 226; C.2; BMCR.184
Rare; EF, virtually mintstate
VESTAL VIRGINS. Aquilia Severa was one of the six Vestal Virgins who carried out the maintenance of the sacred fire and other cult ceremonies connected to the goddess Vesta. Therefore her marriage with Elagabal leads to disturbances in the priestership and the people of Rome.Jochen
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Bramsen 0952. Mariage a Paris avec Marie-Louise, 1810.Obv. The busts of the Emperor Napoleon laureated, and the Empress Marie Louisa crowned with a diadem. ANDRIEU. F. DENON D
Rev.Napoleon and Marie Louisa, full lengths, he habited in the Roman costume, with the imperial paludamentum clasped over his right shoulder; their right hands are joined, and with his left he embraces her shoulder, in the attitude of conducting her to the altar, on which burns the vestal flame: on the plinth of the altar, which is circular, is represented the bow and quiver of arrows of Cupid, crossed, with the torch of Hymen erect.
On the base, JOUANNIN F.
Legend, NAPOLEON EMP. ET ROI. M. LOUISE D'AUTRICHE.
Exergue, I AVRIL MDCCCX. DENON D
Struck to commemorate the wedding of Napoleon and Marie Louise of Austria in 1810
LordBest
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C. Clodius C.f. Vestalis - AR denariusRome
41 BC
draped bust of Flora right wearing wreath, earrings; lily behind
C·CLODIVS__C·F·
veiled Vesta seated left holding bowl
VESTALIS
Crawford 512/2; SRCV I 499, RSC I Claudia 13, Sydenham 1135
3,6g 20mm
ex Vienna International AuctionsJ. B.
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Cr 413/1 AR Denarius L. Cassius Longinus63 BCE
o: Bust of Vesta left, kylix behind, backwards S before
r: Citizen dropping tablet inscribed V into cista, LONGIN III V behind.
Crawford 413/1; Cassia 10.
3.85g. (7h)
The backwards S on obverse is a control mark, which collectively spell out Cassius' name across this type.
The reverse harkens back to an ancestor's voting law, where the "V" -- clearly visible on this nice coin -- indicated a positive vote. It is somewhat uncertain whether the money simply honored the presumably popular aspect of the law, which extended secrecy in voting, or also included the ancestor's role in prosecution of Vestal Virgins, as implied by the image of Vesta on the obverse. Apparently three Vestals were accused of being quite naughty for a Vestal, an extremely unhealthy thing to do, both individually and for the Roman state.PMah
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Cr 428/1 AR Denarius Q. Cassius Longinus Rome 55 b.c.e.
o: Veiled head of Vesta right; Q•CASSIVS downwards to left, VEST upwards to right
r: Curule chair within circular temple of Vesta; urn to left, vota tablet inscribed AC to right
Cassia 9; 4.02 gm, 19 mm, 9h
The issue commemorates the trial, or rather, retrial, in 113 b.c.e., presided over by L. Cassius Longinus Ravilla of three Vestal Virgins. "Condemno" as to two of them, even though they had all been acquitted once already. Ravilla is, as a side note to a side note, essentially the lawyer who first said "Follow the money". Censor in 125 b.c.e.
Quintus was the brother or cousin of the conspirator against Caesar, although Quintus had been a Caesarian appointee. He was so awful as governor of Further Spain that a revolt of both native and Roman troops broke out. He likely perished fleeing the revolt.
His issues as moneyer, however, were fairly successful designs. This specimen is quite nice, retaining the "AC" on the tablet quite well, with the voting urn remaining quite clear.
PMah
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Cr 512/2 - Claudia 13 C. Clodius Vestalis.
AR Denarius, 41 BC.
Laureate draped bust of Flora right; lily at shoulder / Veiled Vestal virgin seated left, holding a two-handled bowl.
Cr512/2, Syd 1135, Claudia 13, Sear5 #499 Fine
RR0011Sosius
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Crawford 512/2, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, C. Clodius VestalisRome, Moneyer Issues of the Imperatorial Period.
C. Clodius C.f. Vestalis. 41 BCE
AR Denarius (3.99g; 20mm; 12h).
Rome mint, 41 BCE.
Obverse: C•CLODIVS - C• F•; Draped, laureate bust of Flora, facing right; flower behind.
Reverse: VESTALIS; Veiled female seated to left, extending culullus in right hand.
References: Crawford 512/2; HCRI 317; Sydenham 1135 (R3); BMCRR 4196; Clodia 13
Provenance: Ex Nomisma 65 (17 Jun 2022) Lot 40; Aretusa Auction 1 (18 Sep 1993) Lot 265; De Nicola FPL (Sep 1968) Lot 248.
Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and springtime, with an association to fertility, and her festival began at Rome circa 240-238 BCE. Crawford prefers the later date, which would eliminate the Flora connection to the moneyer’s kinsman, C. Claudius Cento, consul in 240 BCE; David Sear thinks the 240 BCE date of the festival is correct and that the connection to C. Claudius Cento is the reason for the obverse type. The reverse depiction of a seated Vestal Virgin might be a punning allusion to the moneyer’s cognomen, Vestalis, or it may depict one of the Vestal Virgins who were members of the Claudia gens (Claudia Quinta ca. 200 BCE, or Claudia, daughter of Appius Claudius Pulcher, consul in 143 BCE). Grueber argues that the coin depicts Claudia Quinta who was instrumental in bringing the cult of Cybele to Rome, and from whom the Claudians assumed the cognomen “Vestalis.”Carausius
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Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D. Silver denariusPossibly unique! The combination of this reverse legend with a recumbent bull behind the altar is apparently unpublished and this is the only example known to Forum. The bull is present on a similar type with the reverse legend INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG.
Silver denarius, RSC III 213c var. (no bull); BMCRE V 269 var. (same); Hunter III 68 var. (same); RIC IV 52 (S) var. (same, also no horn); SRCV II 7538 var. (same), NGC XF, strike 5/5, surface 3/5 (2412840-011), Rome mint, weight 3.07g, maximum diameter 18.4mm, die axis 0o, Jan 222 A.D.; obverse IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, draped and bearded bust right, from the front; reverse P M TR P V COS IIII P P, Elagabalus standing slightly left, wearing Syrian priestly dress, sacrificing from patera in right hand over flaming altar at feet on left, club (or branch) cradled in left hand and arm, star in upper left field, recumbent bull behind altar; NGC certified (slabbed); extremely rare.
Coins with a horned portrait and the title TR P V were struck in January 222 A.D. After some days or weeks the horn was removed from Elagabalus' portrait. Elagabalus had shocked the public with bizarre behavior including cross dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Removing the unusual horn from his portrait was probably part of a last ditch effort to show that he had changed, dropping his peculiar Syrian ways. The effort failed. On 11 March 222, Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome and dumped into the Tiber.
From The Sam Mansourati Collection.Sam
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Enemies, Punished: Killing of Tarpeia, Another Founding Myth, on Titurius Sabinus DenariusRoman Republican. L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus AR Denarius (3.5g, 20.5mm, 3h), Rome 89 BCE.
Obv: SABIN. Bearded bare head of the Sabine king, Tatius right; palm frond right below chin.
Rev: L•TITVRI. Tarpeia, hair dishevelled, facing forward, buried to her waist in shields, hands raised fending off two soldiers about to throw their shields on her; star in crescent above.
Ref: Tituria 4 (Babelon or RSC); Crawford 344/2a.
Prov: Ex Numismática Lucernae/Antonio Hinosa Pareja (Alcala La Real, 8 Jul 2015).
Notes: This reverse was copied by a second classic denarius, struck ~80 years later by Augustus (RIC 299). It was also a pun on the moneyer’s name: Titurius Sabinus & Tarpeia the Sabine partisan.
A classic scene invoking the contemporary relevance of Rome’s mythical founding to the ongoing “Social War” (91 – 87 BCE). The Republic was at war with its own allies & Italic neighbors, largely over the matter of (not) bestowing Roman citizenship. (Citizenship was worth fighting over; it was highly consequential for safety & well-being, and political & military decision-making). Though Rome "won," it granted citizenship anyway, eventuating in “the Romanization of Italy.”
The coin's reverse depicts Tarpeia, the Vestal Virgin who betrayed Rome to the Sabines during a siege. Her punishment was to be crushed to death under Sabine shields & hurled from a cliff (the "Tarpeian Rock").
In 70 CE, the Flavians gave a traditional traitor's execution to Simon bar Giora (famous rebel leader in the First Jewish–Roman War, 66-70 CE, defender against Titus in the Siege of Jerusalem): he was paraded through Rome in Vespasian's great Triumph, scourged and publicly hurled from the Tarpeian Rock.Curtis JJ
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Vesta in the Forum Romanum.Temple of Vesta in the Forum Romanum in Rome. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Vesta. All temples to Vesta were round, and had entrances facing east to symbolize connection between Vesta’s fire and the sun as sources of life. The Temple of Vesta represents the site of ancient cult activity as far back as 7th century BCE. Numa Pompilius is believed to have built this temple along with the original Regia and House of the Vestal Virgins in its original form. Around the Temple stood The Sacred Grove, in which also there was a graveyard for the priests and virgins. It was one of the earliest structures located in the Roman Forum although its present reincarnation is the result of subsequent rebuilding. Instead of a cult statue in the cella there was a hearth which held the sacred flame. The temple was the storehouse for the legal wills and documents of Roman Senators and cult objects such as the Palladium. The Palladium was a statue of Athena (Roman Minerva) believed to have been brought by Aeneas from Troy; the statue was felt to be one of the Pignora Imperii, or pledges of imperium, of Ancient Rome. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the Romans believed that the Sacred fire of Vesta was closely tied to the fortunes of the city and viewed its extinction as a portent of disaster. The sacred flame was put out in 394 by Theodosius I after he won the Battle of the Frigidus, defeating Eugenius and Arbogast. The Temple of Vesta remained reasonably intact until the Renaissance. However, in 1549 the building was completely demolished and its marble reused in churches and papal palaces. The section standing today was reconstructed in the 1930s during the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini.
By Wknight94, 26 April 2008. Source: Joe Sermarini
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Julia DomnaJulia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217. Æ As (27mm, 9.59 g, 11h). Rome mint. Struck under Caracalla, circa AD 214. Diademed and draped bust right / Four Vestal Virgins sacrificing over altar in front of the Temple of Vesta. RIC IV 607a (Caracalla). Near VF, dark green patina with light earthen highlights and touches of red, a few cleaning marks.
During the last five years of her life, following the murder of her younger son Geta in AD 212, Julia Domna virtually ran the government while Caracalla embarked on various military adventures. The emperor was much troubled by illness throughout his sole reign. On his way to the Parthian War in AD 214, he even visited the great shrine of Aesculapius at Pergamum in the hopes of finding a cure, an occasion marked by the striking of a remarkable series of medallic bronzes at the city.
This rare and attractive As of Julia Domna, issued at Rome in AD 214, is on the same theme and records vows for the health of Caracalla undertaken by the Vestal Virgins in a ceremony before the Temple of Vesta. The four Vestals are accompanied by two children and the sanctuary itself appears as a small domed structure in the background. Over the centuries no fewer than seven temples of Vesta occupied the site in the Forum at the northern corner of the house of Vestals. Most were the victims of fire, the sixth temple having been destroyed late in the reign of Commodus (AD 191). Julia Domna herself built the seventh, and the partially reconstructed ruins of this building are still to be seen today.
Description from CNGecoli
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Julia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217Julia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217. Æ As (26mm, 10.65 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck under Caracalla, circa AD 214. Diademed and draped bust right / Four Vestal Virgins sacrificing over altar in front of the Temple of Vesta. RIC IV 607a (Caracalla). Dark brown patina, some roughness. Near VF. Very rare.Ancient Aussie
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L. Titurius L.f. SabinusL. Titurius L.f. Sabinus. 89 BC. AR Denarius. Rome mint. Bare head of King Tatius right; palm frond to lower right / Tarpeia seated facing, being buried in shields and raising both hands in protestation; to left and right, soldier preparing to cast shield upon her; above, star within crescent. Crawford 344/2b; Sydenham 699; Tituria 4.
As a subplot of the myth of the rape of the Sabine women, Tarpeia was a Vestal Virgin who betrayed the city of Rome to the Sabines when they were attempting to rescue their wives and daughters. The price for her betrayal was what the Sabine soldiers wore on their left arms, meaning their gold bracelets. The Sabines were offended by Tarpeia's reprehensible greed and treason, and took her price literally. She met her death under the crushing weight of the soldiers’ shieldsecoli
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Mn. Cordius Rufus - AR denariusRome or Athens
46 BC
conjoined heads of the Dioscuri with laureate pilei right, stars above
RVFVS III VIR
Venus Verticordia standing left, holding scales and scepter, Cupid on her shoulder
(MN)·CORDI
SRCV I 440, RSC I Cordia 2b, Sydenham 976a, Crawford 463/1b
3,65g 19mm
Moneyer is the only known member of Cordia gens. Later he served as preator and proconsul under Octavian.
After scandal with Vestal virgins the temple was dedicated to Venus Verticordia ("Venus the changer of hearts") in Rome 114 BC . Venus Verticordia is on one hand pun for Cordia and on the other hand supports Julius Caesar. Iulii claimed that their origin comes from Iulus son of Aeneas who was son of Venus.J. B.
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Q. Cassius Longinus -- AR DenariusQ. Cassius Longinus -- AR Denarius. Head of Libertas right; LIBERT left, Q. CASSIVS right / Curule chair within temple of Vesta; urn to left and voting tablet inscribed AC to right. Crawford 428/2; Sydenham 918; Cassia 8. Triton VI, Lot 739.
CNG's historical take on these coins: The reverse of this attractive type alludes to an incident in 113 BC, in which the College of Ponftiffs acquitted two Vestal Virgins, allegedly improperly, on charges of incest, while condemning a third. An ancestor of the moneyer was called in to investigate the affair. The curule chair under the circular temple alludes to the judicial power given to the investigator; the urn to the left and the tablet to the right inscribed A/C (for Absolvo and Condemno) is the ballot used by jurors to vote for guilt or innocence.Joe Sermarini
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RIC 213 TitusÆ Dupondius, 13.42g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII; Head of Titus, radiate, bearded, l.
Rev: VESTA in exergue; S C in field; Vesta std. l., with palladium and sceptre
RIC 213 (C). BMC 201. BNC 204.
Acquired from Carthago Numismatics, August 2022.
This seated Vesta type is quite common on Titus' bronze coinage, much more so than on Vespasian's earlier issues where she is more commonly represented as standing. Vesta, the goddess of home and hearth, is seen here holding a palladium - a wooden cult image of Pallas Athena which oversees the safety and well being of Rome. Her cult was maintained by the Vestal Virgins.David Atherton
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RIC 262 Domitilla the Elder [Titus]Æ Sestertius, 25.51g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: MEMORIAE / DOMI/TILLAE; S P Q R in exergue; Carpentum drawn r. by two mules
REV: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; S C, large, in centre
RIC 262 (C). BMC 226. BNC 234.
Acquired from London Ancient Coins, October 2022. Ex Bertolami E-Live Auction 236, 24-25 September 2022, lot 803.
Domitilla the Elder was the wife of Vespasian and mother of Titus and Domitian. She married Vespasian either in 39 or 40 and died prior to him rising to the purple in 69. Titus struck a commemorative issue of sestertii publicly honouring his mother in 80 or 81. S. Wood writes of the type 'The carpentum was a vehicle that marked both the high rank and the sanctity of its passenger. Only Vestal Virgins and women of equivalent status were permitted to use carpenta within the city. Since the Julio-Claudian era, a number of imperial women had been granted the rights of honorary Vestals, despite being wives and mothers. Livia was the first to receive this distinction, followed by Antonia Minor and Caligula's three sisters, while Agrippina the Elder, the mother of Caligula, became a posthumous honorary Vestal as part of Caligula's rehabilitation of her memory.' Wood speculates the funeral games honouring Vespasian may have occasioned the appearance of Domitilla's carpentum both in the funeral procession and on the coinage. Clearly by the Flavian age the carpentum was a well known symbol of honour for women of the imperial household. Titus's use of a nearly 60 year old imperial cult image was quite in keeping with his reissue of older Julio-claudian reverse types. David Atherton
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ROMAN EMPIRE / Emperor Elagabalus ( Reign 8 June 218 – 11 March 222)Emperor Elagabalus Silver Denarius.
Obverse: “IMP ANTO - NINVSAVG" Laureate, and draped bust right.
Reverse: “LAETIT - IA PVBL" Latetia standing left, holding wreath and rudder placed on globe.
aXF , 3.04 Gr. Max Dia 18.7.
Rome mint , RIC 95 (The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol.IV, Part II, #95)
Emperor Elagabalus (Reign 8 June 218 – 11 March 222 ) , Born in 203 or 204 A.D., Varius Avitus Bassianus was the grandson of Julia Maesa, the sister of Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, and mother of Caracalla. Soon after the assassination of Caracalla in 217, Domna committed suicide, while Maesa planned to overthrow Caracalla’s successor, Macrinus. Her choice fell upon her eldest grandson, who was the hereditary high priest of the sun God El-Gabal at Emesa. On May 16, 218, the boy was proclaimed Emperor by the Eastern armies. He took the name of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the same as Caracalla, whose son he claimed to be. He would be known to history as Elagabalus, referencing his fanatical loyalty to the Eastern God. He would win a victory over Macrinus near Antioch on June 8, with Macrinus being killed soon after.
One of Elagabalus’ first acts was the deification of Caracalla and Julia Domna. Coins were issued in their names, as well as Julia Maesa, and her daughter, Elagabalus’ mother, Julia Soamias. The three would reach Rome in the fall of 219 A.D. They promptly installed several of their Syrian compatriots in influential positions in the government, a fact resented by the Senate.
Elagabalus’ reign was a complete fiasco. While the earlier Severan emperors had introduced Eastern elements into the roman state religion, Elagabalus attempted to insert the worship of El-Gabal as the center of the state religion. He went as far as to “marry” the roman Goddess Minerva to El-Gabal, an act mimicked on an earthly plain by Elegabalus’ marriage to the Vestal Virgin, Aquilia Severa, an act which shocked Rome to its core.
Further, Elagabalus made no secret of being a passive homosexual, and in fact indulged his taste to its fullest. Rome was not used to an Emperor with painted eyes and rouged cheeks. As a counterbalance, his advisors forced him into a series of marriages, including the above mentioned Vestal. Between his religious extremism, and his public personal life, Elagabalus had earned the contempt and hatred of both Senate and people.
In 221, in an attempt to bolster his reign, Maesa and her second daughter, Julia Mamaea, convinced Elagabalus to adopt Mammea’s son Alexianus, as his heir. Alexianus took on the name of Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. Alexander’s popularity soon aroused Elagabalus’ suspicions. He planned to have Alexander killed, but Maesa and Mamaea, instead had Elagabalus and his mother Julia Soaemias murdered by the Guard. Alexander would succeed his cousin on the throne.
From The Sam Mansourati Collection.Sam
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Aquilia Severa AR Denarius, AD 220–2Rome, AD 221, AR Denarius, 3.20g., 20mm., BMCRE-335, RIC-226, RSC-2. Obv: IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG; draped bust right. Rx: CONCORDIA; Concordia standing half-left. sacrificing from patera over lighted altar, holding double cornucopia, star to right.
Notes: Rare; Aquilia Severa's "Concordia standing" reverse is more often found with the star in the left field than the right (as on this specimen).Britannicus
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Roman Empire, Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D. Silver denariusPossibly unique! The combination of this reverse legend with a recumbent bull behind the altar is apparently unpublished and this is the only example known to Forum. The bull is present on a similar type with the reverse legend INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG.
Silver denarius, RSC III 213c var. (no bull); BMCRE V 269 var. (same); Hunter III 68 var. (same); RIC IV 52 (S) var. (same, also no horn); SRCV II 7538 var. (same), NGC XF, strike 5/5, surface 3/5 (2412840-011), Rome mint, weight 3.07g, maximum diameter 18.4mm, die axis 0o, Jan 222 A.D.; obverse IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, draped and bearded bust right, from the front; reverse P M TR P V COS IIII P P, Elagabalus standing slightly left, wearing Syrian priestly dress, sacrificing from patera in right hand over flaming altar at feet on left, club (or branch) cradled in left hand and arm, star in upper left field, recumbent bull behind altar; NGC certified (slabbed); extremely rare.
Coins with a horned portrait and the title TR P V were struck in January 222 A.D. After some days or weeks the horn was removed from Elagabalus' portrait. Elagabalus had shocked the public with bizarre behavior including cross dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Removing the unusual horn from his portrait was probably part of a last ditch effort to show that he had changed, dropping his peculiar Syrian ways. The effort failed. On 11 March 222, Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome and dumped into the Tiber.
From The Sam Mansourati Collection.Sam
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ROMAN REPUBLIC, L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus, AR DenariusL. Titurius L.f. Sabinus. 89 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.81 g). Head of Tatius right; palm below chin / Tarpeia buried to her waist in shields, fending off two soldiers about to throw their shields on her. Crawford 344/2c; Sydenham 699a; Tituria 5. Toned.
As a subplot of the myth of the rape of the Sabine women, Tarpeia was a Vestal Virgin that betrayed the city of Rome to the Sabines when they were attempting to rescue their wives and daughters. The price for her betrayal was what the Sabine soldiers wore on their left arms, meaning their gold bracelets. The Sabines were offended by Tarpeia's reprehensible greed and treason, and took her price literally. She met her death under the crushing weight of the soldiers' shields.
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RRC413/1 (L. Cassius Longinus)bv. Anepigraphic, draped vestal virgin facing left, shallow vessel (culullus) behind, control letter (L?) before; punch marks.
Rev. Male togate figure left, left hand on hips, right hand placing a tablet inscribed with V(ti rogas) in a cista. LONGIN(VS) IIIV(ir) ro right.
Rome, 63 B.C. or 52 B.C.
RRC 413/1, Sear 364, RSC Cassia 10
This coin was struck by the brother of the famous Cassius who, with Brutus, was the head of the conspiracy to kill Caesar. L. Cassius rose to proconsul under Caesar, and was Tribune of the People in 44 B.C. He was later reconciled to the triumvirs, however (Appian B.C. 5.7).
On both sides of the coin, the allusion is made to L. Cassius Longinus Ravilla (cos. 127 B.C.; censor 125 B.C.), who was responsible for the condemnation of wayward Vestals, which had previously been acquitted by the Pontifex Maximus (Cassius Dio 26.87, Asconius, Comm. in Pis. 32). The penalty for the Vestals would have been live burial, and for their accomplices, death by flogging.
While he was a tribune of the people (137 B.C.), Cassius Longinus introduced the secret vote for jury trials (following the Lex Gabinia of 139 B.C., which had made the vote at elections secret). This made Cicero (consul the year this coin seems to have been struck) see Ravilla as a traitor to the Boni (Cicero, de leg. 3.35, pro Sest. 48.103). The scene thus shows a voter placing a tablet marked with Vti Rogas ("as you ask", "aye") in the polling box. A "nay" would have been marked "A(ntiquo)".Syltorian
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SALONINA AVG / VESTA antoninianus (close to 258-264 A.D.) Obv.: SALON[INA AVG], Bust of Salonina, diademed, draped, right, on crescent
Rev.: VESTA, Vesta, draped, seated left, holding patera in right hand and sceptre transverse in left hand. Q in exergue.
d oval 18-20+mm, 3.14g, die axis 1h (medal alignment), material: bronze/copper-based alloy supposedly with some silver.
Portrait: Cornelia Salonina (Augusta in 253-268), wife of Gallienus
Authority: Gallienus (joint reign 253-, sole reign 260-268).
Mint: Rome.
AVG = Augusta. VESTA is the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. Vesta was among the Dii Consentes, twelve of the most honored gods in the Roman pantheon. She was the daughter of Saturn and Ops, and sister of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, and Ceres. Her Greek equivalent is Hestia. She was rarely depicted in human form, and was often represented by the fire in the hearth of her temple in the Forum Romanum, tended by her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins. As she was considered a guardian of the Roman people, her festival, the Vestalia (7–15 June), was regarded as one of the most important Roman holidays. She was of special significance to Roman married women. Patera was round shallow dish or bowl (similar to the Greek phiale) used by the Romans in religious ceremonies, either in offering libations of wine to the gods, or in receiving the blood of sacrificial animals. On coins, the patera is placed in the hands of the deities, as a symbol of the divine honors rendered to them, or in that of their ministers as an attribute of their functions. Scepters, often two to three foot ivory rods topped with a globe or an eagle, were introduced by Augustus as a symbol of Rome's power. They would be carried by emperors while riding in chariots to celebrate military victories. Thus a scepter is a symbol of emperor's leadership and victory. In this case it, as well as the seated position of the goddess, may symbolize the special governing significance of Vesta to Rome and Romans. It also might signify the leadership of empress in virtues and grace among Roman matrons. Q probably means the 4th officina.
RIC V-1 Rome 32; Göbl 365dd; Cohen 139; RSC 143; Sear 10665. (some catalogues list it as joint reign)
There is a discrepancy in estimates of the time of its minting, some put it to 258-260, others to 263-264.
ID straightforward. Many examples of 21-22mm, consistent with larger size of this coin and its origin in earlier period.Yurii P
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VestaAntoninus Pius Denarius
Obv:– ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVI, Laureate head facing right
Rev:– COS IIII, Vesta standing left, holding simpulum and Palladium
Minted in Rome, A.D. 152 - 153
References:– Cohen 197, RIC 219
Vesta originally started out as a household spirit and she was later personified as the goddess of the hearth and given the staure of her Greek equivalent, Hestia. In the temple of Vesta her flame was kept alive by Vestal Virgins. maridvnvm
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VestaVesta was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family.
She isn't equivalent of greek Hestia.
She is often depicted with Palladium which Aeneas brought from Troy according legend. Palladium was stored in her temple on forum.
Their priestess (Vestal Virgins) were tending holy fire which was renewed every 1. March.
Rites of Vesta ended in 394 and Vestal Virgins were disbanded by order of Theodosius I.
upleft: Antoninus Pius - AR denarius; Rome; 153-154 AD; Vesta holding simpulum and Palladium; RIC 229a, RSC 198; 3,11g 17-16 mm;
upright: Faustina I - AR denarius; Rome; 148-161 AD; Vesta holding Palladium and patera over lit altar; RSC 116; RIC 370.4; 3,19g 17-16 mm
downleft: Faustina I - AE As; Rome; 148-161 AD; Vesta holding palladium and torch; RIC 1178, Cohen 114, BMC 1581, sear5 #4648; 9,26g 27-26 mm
downright: Julia Mamaea - AR denarius; Rome; 222 AD; Vesta holding patera and scepter; RIC 362, BMC 440, S 8218, C 85; ??? g 20-18 mmJ. B.
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[1007c] Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D.Elagabalus AE 26; 26.62mm, 12.7g; Nicopolis ad Istrum, 218-222 A.D. Obverse: Radiate bust of Elagabalus right; Reverse: Aequitas left; VF/aVF; portrait of superb style . Ex Ancient Imports.
On his website, Doug Smith says, "Coin style, if judged as good or bad, must be judged only on how well it reflects the spirit of the times that produced it"
(http://dougsmith.ancients.info/style.html).
I have several coins struck during the reign of Elagabalus (not all are shown), and this bronze has two distinctions: it is the least expensive, and it is my favorite. In this portrait, I think that the die cutter captured in his compositon of Elagabalus's face a glimpse of self-awareness, a reflection of the insecurity of being a teenage emperor.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
ELAGABULUS (218-222 A.D.)
Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the "last of the Antonines," is better known to history as Elagabalus, the name of the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa. Elagabalus, the emperor, was a high-priest of this deity, and his active promotion of the god was among several actions that made him an object of scorn and ridicule among the Roman aristocracy. As a youth, living in Emesa with his mother in the household of his grandmother, Julia Maesa, he began to perform in the hereditary family role of high-priest at the temple of the god Elagabalus. Leading Syrian families used their teenager's public displays as high-priest to channel soldiers' discontent with the emperor Macrinus into sedition. Elagabalus's promotion of the cult of the Emesene sun-god was certainly ridiculed by contemporary observers, but this cult was popular among soldiers and would remain so. Moreover, the cult continued to be promoted by later emperors of non-Syrian ethnicity, notably Constantine the Great, calling the god The Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus).
Much has been made by many historians concerning Elagabalus’ behavior. His three marriages, two to the same Vestal virgin, produced no heir and received considerable contemporary derision. The paramours of his homosexual infatuations, the topics of notorious rumors, became skoffed-at administrative appointees whose favor insulted the aristocracy. His bizarre habit of carrying a large stone while walking backwards through the streets of the capital was considered possible insanity. If there is any understanding of “Elagabalus’ rock,” it rests with the knowledge that both Elagabalus, the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa and the source of the emperor’s adopted name, and the Carthgenian goddess Tanit possessed, as was common in Semitic religions, a large stone that was the focus of worship. Elagabalus (the emperor) brought these stones together in a ritualistic “marriage of the gods.” The Elagabalus (god of Emesa) stone was a focus of devotion for Elagabalus the Emperor.
The beginning of the 222 found the emperor ever more closed in. Elagabalus increasingly refused to have contact with his advisors. Government was approaching gridlock as officials were unable to figure out who had authority. A failed attempt by Elagabalus to persuade soldiers to kill his cousin, Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus (the future emperor Severus Alexander), proved his undoing. Elagabalus and his mother were murdered the evening of 11 March 222. Their bodies were dumped into the Tiber and their memories condemned. Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus was proclaimed emperor but did not take the name Antoninus, connected as it was with the failed reign of his predecessor.
Scholars have often viewed the failure of Elagabalus' reign as a clash of cultures between "Eastern" (Syrian) and "Western" (Roman), but this dichotomy is not very useful. The criticisms of the emperor's effeminacy and sexual behavior mirror those made of earlier emperors (such as Nero) and do not need to be explained through ethnic stereotypes. Elagabalus is best understood as a teenager who was raised near the luxury of the imperial court and who then suffered a drastic change of fortune brought about by the sudden deaths -- probably within one year -- of his father, his grandfather and his cousin, the emperor Caracalla. Thrust upon the throne, Elagabalus lacked the required discipline. For a while, Romans may well have been amused by his "Merrie Monarch" behavior, but he ended up offending those he needed to inspire. His reign tragically demonstrated the difficulties of having a teenage emperor.
Copyright (C) 1997, Michael L. Meckler.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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[1007d] Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D. This is the same coin as 1007c in this gallery. This is my photo using a Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 lens set on f/4 for 1 second. Neither the obverse nor the reverse images were "touched-up" after their shots. Click on photo to enlarge.
J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Elagabalus AE 26; 26.62mm, 12.7g; Nicopolis ad Istrum, 218-222 A.D. Obverse: Radiate bust of Elagabalus right; Reverse: Aequitas left; VF/aVF; portrait of superb style . Ex Ancient Imports.
On his website, Doug Smith says, "Coin style, if judged as good or bad, must be judged only on how well it reflects the spirit of the times that produced it"
(http://dougsmith.ancients.info/style.html).
I have several coins struck during the reign of Elagabalus (not all are shown), and this bronze has two distinctions: it is the least expensive, and it is my favorite. In this portrait, I think that the die cutter captured in his compositon of Elagabalus's face a glimpse of self-awareness, a reflection of the insecurity of being a teenage emperor.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
ELAGABULUS (218-222 A.D.)
Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the "last of the Antonines," is better known to history as Elagabalus, the name of the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa. Elagabalus, the emperor, was a high-priest of this deity, and his active promotion of the god was among several actions that made him an object of scorn and ridicule among the Roman aristocracy. As a youth, living in Emesa with his mother in the household of his grandmother, Julia Maesa, he began to perform in the hereditary family role of high-priest at the temple of the god Elagabalus. Leading Syrian families used their teenager's public displays as high-priest to channel soldiers' discontent with the emperor Macrinus into sedition. Elagabalus's promotion of the cult of the Emesene sun-god was certainly ridiculed by contemporary observers, but this cult was popular among soldiers and would remain so. Moreover, the cult continued to be promoted by later emperors of non-Syrian ethnicity, notably Constantine the Great, calling the god The Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus).
Much has been made by many historians concerning Elagabalus’ behavior. His three marriages, two to the same Vestal virgin, produced no heir and received considerable contemporary derision. The paramours of his homosexual infatuations, the topics of notorious rumors, became skoffed-at administrative appointees whose favor insulted the aristocracy. His bizarre habit of carrying a large stone while walking backwards through the streets of the capital was considered possible insanity. If there is any understanding of “Elagabalus’ rock,” it rests with the knowledge that both Elagabalus, the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa and the source of the emperor’s adopted name, and the Carthgenian goddess Tanit possessed, as was common in Semitic religions, a large stone that was the focus of worship. Elagabalus (the emperor) brought these stones together in a ritualistic “marriage of the gods.” The Elagabalus (god of Emesa) stone was a focus of devotion for Elagabalus the Emperor.
The beginning of the 222 found the emperor ever more closed in. Elagabalus increasingly refused to have contact with his advisors. Government was approaching gridlock as officials were unable to figure out who had authority. A failed attempt by Elagabalus to persuade soldiers to kill his cousin, Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus (the future emperor Severus Alexander), proved his undoing. Elagabalus and his mother were murdered the evening of 11 March 222. Their bodies were dumped into the Tiber and their memories condemned. Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus was proclaimed emperor but did not take the name Antoninus, connected as it was with the failed reign of his predecessor.
Scholars have often viewed the failure of Elagabalus' reign as a clash of cultures between "Eastern" (Syrian) and "Western" (Roman), but this dichotomy is not very useful. The criticisms of the emperor's effeminacy and sexual behavior mirror those made of earlier emperors (such as Nero) and do not need to be explained through ethnic stereotypes. Elagabalus is best understood as a teenager who was raised near the luxury of the imperial court and who then suffered a drastic change of fortune brought about by the sudden deaths -- probably within one year -- of his father, his grandfather and his cousin, the emperor Caracalla. Thrust upon the throne, Elagabalus lacked the required discipline. For a while, Romans may well have been amused by his "Merrie Monarch" behavior, but he ended up offending those he needed to inspire. His reign tragically demonstrated the difficulties of having a teenage emperor.
Copyright (C) 1997, Michael L. Meckler.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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[1007e] Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D. (Antioch)Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Antioch, Syria. Bronze AE 20, SGI 3098, BMC 449, F, Antioch, 5.11g, 19.7mm, 180o. Obverse: IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, laureate head right; Reverse: large DE, star below, all in wreath. Ex FORVM.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
ELAGABALUS (218-222 A.D.)
Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the "last of the Antonines," is better known to history as Elagabalus, the name of the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa. Elagabalus, the emperor, was a high-priest of this deity, and his active promotion of the god was among several actions that made him an object of scorn and ridicule among the Roman aristocracy. As a youth, living in Emesa with his mother in the household of his grandmother, Julia Maesa, he began to perform in the hereditary family role of high-priest at the temple of the god Elagabalus. Leading Syrian families used their teenager's public displays as high-priest to channel soldiers' discontent with the emperor Macrinus into sedition. Elagabalus's promotion of the cult of the Emesene sun-god was certainly ridiculed by contemporary observers, but this cult was popular among soldiers and would remain so. Moreover, the cult continued to be promoted by later emperors of non-Syrian ethnicity, notably Constantine the Great, calling the god The Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus).
Much has been made by many historians concerning Elagabalus’ behavior. His three marriages, two to the same Vestal virgin, produced no heir and received considerable contemporary derision. The paramours of his homosexual infatuations, the topics of notorious rumors, became skoffed-at administrative appointees whose favor insulted the aristocracy. His bizarre habit of carrying a large stone while walking backwards through the streets of the capital was considered possible insanity. If there is any understanding of “Elagabalus’ rock,” it rests with the knowledge that both Elagabalus, the sun-god of the Syrian city of Emesa and the source of the emperor’s adopted name, and the Carthgenian goddess Tanit possessed, as was common in Semitic religions, a large stone that was the focus of worship. Elagabalus (the emperor) brought these stones together in a ritualistic “marriage of the gods.” The Elagabalus (god of Emesa) stone was a focus of devotion for Elagabalus the Emperor.
The beginning of the 222 found the emperor ever more closed in. Elagabalus increasingly refused to have contact with his advisors. Government was approaching gridlock as officials were unable to figure out who had authority. A failed attempt by Elagabalus to persuade soldiers to kill his cousin, Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus (the future emperor Severus Alexander), proved his undoing. Elagabalus and his mother were murdered the evening of 11 March 222. Their bodies were dumped into the Tiber and their memories condemned. Marcus Julius Gessius Alexianus was proclaimed emperor but did not take the name Antoninus, connected as it was with the failed reign of his predecessor.
Scholars have often viewed the failure of Elagabalus' reign as a clash of cultures between "Eastern" (Syrian) and "Western" (Roman), but this dichotomy is not very useful. The criticisms of the emperor's effeminacy and sexual behavior mirror those made of earlier emperors (such as Nero) and do not need to be explained through ethnic stereotypes. Elagabalus is best understood as a teenager who was raised near the luxury of the imperial court and who then suffered a drastic change of fortune brought about by the sudden deaths -- probably within one year -- of his father, his grandfather and his cousin, the emperor Caracalla. Thrust upon the throne, Elagabalus lacked the required discipline. For a while, Romans may well have been amused by his "Merrie Monarch" behavior, but he ended up offending those he needed to inspire. His reign tragically demonstrated the difficulties of having a teenage emperor.
Copyright (C) 1997, Michael L. Meckler.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr
Cleisthenes
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