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A bronze provincial coin of the emperor Antoninus Pius from Emesa with a reverse showing the sacred stone of Elagabal. Coin Type: Bronze AE23 of Antoninus Pius, Caesar 138 CE, Augustus 138-161 CE
Mint and Date: Emesa in Seleucis and Pieria, Syria, 139-140 CE.
Size and Weight: 20mm x 23mm, 9.42g
Obverse: (AVT KAI TI AIΛ ANTONЄINOC CЄB ЄV)
Laureate head right.
Reverse: (ЄMIC)-HNwN
Eagle with closed wings standing right on the conical baetyl (holy stone) of Emesa, head left, holding wreath in beak; (stone decorated with crescent and two stars below.)
Field Marks: B in right field (year 2).
Provenance: The Time Machine Co (Vcoins), August 2009
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 309 var (Γ in reverse field).
BW Ref: 027 053 143
Click on the picture for a larger scale view of the coin

Note: This is the stone which was brought to Rome by Elagabalus as part of his bid to make the Emesan sun god Elah-Gabal the chief deity of Rome. After his death it was was returned to Emesa by his successor Severus Alexander. There is a rumour that this is the same stone which is now in the Ka'aba of Mecca.

Note 2: There is a better specimen also in this index here: Antoninus Pius Emesa Stone.


The content of this page was last updated on 6 November 2009