ELAGABALUSAncient| Roman| coins| of Elagabalus| for sale in the |Forum |Ancient |Coins | consignment shop. Elagabalus came to power through the scheming of his grandmother Julia Maesa. Elagabalus repeatedly shocked the population with increasingly bizarre behavior including cross dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Eventually his grandmother replaced him on the throne with Severus Alexander, and Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome and dumped into the Tiber. Also see ERIC - Elagabalus ElagabalusBy Jim Phelps One of the more unusual rulers of the Roman Empire has to be Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Born Varius Avitus Bassianus in 204, he belonged to the family who were the high priests of the Syrian sun god, Elagabalus, the local version of Baal. Because of his dedication to his god, Avitus has come to be known as Elagabalus. More importantly for his eventual rule, he was also the grand-nephew of Septimius Severus, and therefore the cousin of the emperors Caracalla and Geta. His grandmother, Julia Maesa was the sister of the former empress, Julia Domna. Maesa convinced (perhaps bribed) a Syrian legion to proclaim the 14-year old Elagabalus as emperor, and the Severan dynasty was quickly restored. His 4-year reign was remarkable for his disregard and disrespect for Roman traditions. Though roundly condemned for this, it is important to remember that he was used as an excuse or a figurehead for Maesa's revolt. He had no apparent military training and would undoubtedly have lived his life quite contentedly in service to the Syrian sun god. Roman religious traditions were totally unlike Eastern, and his following of these Eastern religious rites shocked Rome. The fact that he had absolute rule from such a young age meant that his eccentricities developed quickly into outright perversions. His coinage includes his grandmother Julia Maesa, which continued under his cousin Severus Alexander. It also includes the three wives that he married and divorced in quick succession, before remarrying his second wife. An unusual feature of the coinage is the horn extending forward from Elagabalus' forehead on a few of the series. Though less common than the non-horned portraits, they are still fairly easy to acquire. Horns were a long-established symbol of divinity in Eastern religions, and many examples can be seen in the coins of the Hellenistic dynasties. In artwork the Judeo-Christian prophet Moses sometimes even is shown with horns. The group of coins below all show a horned bust, proclaiming the divinity of the emperor himself. The reverses show the emperor sacrificing to his god with legends identifying him more as a priest rather than a ruler. From a simple engraving standpoint, the star should have been behind Elagabalus, lending more balance to the design. The fact that it is shown directly in front of the emperor leaves no question that the star represents the sun-god to whom Elagabalus sacrifices. Silver Denarius minted 220-222Obv:IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev:INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG - "The Unconquerable Priest Augustus" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress facing, holding a club upright and sacrificing from a patera over a lit altar. A bull lies behind the altar, and a star is in the left field above. Van Meter 36/2, RSC III 61 Silver Denarius minted 220-222 Obv:IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev:SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG - "The High Priest Augustus" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress standing half-left, holding a branch downward and sacrificing from a patera over a lit tripod altar. A star is in the left field above. Van Meter 63/1, RSC III 276 Silver Denarius minted 220-222 Obv:IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev:SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB - "The Priest of the Sun God Baal" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress standing right, holding a club upright and sacrificing from a patera over an altar. A star is in the right field above. Van Meter 56, RSC III 246 REFERENCESBanti, A. & L. Simonetti. Corpus Nummorum Romanorum. (Florence, 1972-1979).Calicó, E.X. The Roman Avrei, Vol. I: From the Republic to Pertinax, 196 BC - 193 AD. (Barcelona, 2003). Cohen, H. Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'Empire Romain, Vol. 4: Septimius Severus to Maximinus Thrax. (Paris, 1884). Mattingly, H.B., E.A. Sydenham & C.H.V. Sutherland. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol IV, From Pertinax to Uranius Antoninus. (London, 1986). Mattingly, H. & R.A.G. Carson. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. 5: Pertinax to Elagabalus. (London, 1950). Mouchmov, N.A. Le Tresor Numismatique De Reka-Devnia (Marcianopolis). (Sofia, 1934). Robinson, A. Roman Imperial Coins in the Hunter Coin Cabinet, University of Glasgow, Vol. III. Pertinax to Aemilian. (Oxford, 1977). Seaby, H.A. & Sear, D.R. Roman Silver Coins, Volume III, Pertinax to Balbinus and Pupienus. (London, 1982). Sear, D.R. Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. II: The Accession of Nerva to the Overthrow of the Severan Dynasty AD 96 - AD 235. (London, 2002). Vagi, D. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. (Sidney, 1999). OBVERSE LEGENDSANTONINVSFELPIVSAVGANTONINVSPFELAVG ANTONINVSPIVSAVG ANTONINVSPIVSFEL ANTONINVSPIVSFELAVG (ALSO USED BY CARACALLA) IMPANTONINVSAVG IMPANTONINVSPIVSAVG IMPANTONINVSPIVSFELIX IMPANTONINVSPIVSFELIXAVG IMPCAESANTONINVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSPFAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSPIVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRSEANTONINVSAVG IMPCMAVRANTONINVSPFAVG IMP M AVR ANTONIN PIVS AVG DICTIONARY| OF ROMAN| COINS|
View whole page from the |Dictionary Of Roman Coins| | Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D.Ancient| Roman| coins| of Elagabalus| for sale in the |Forum |Ancient |Coins | consignment shop. Elagabalus came to power through the scheming of his grandmother Julia Maesa. Elagabalus repeatedly shocked the population with increasingly bizarre behavior including cross dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Eventually his grandmother replaced him on the throne with Severus Alexander, and Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome and dumped into the Tiber. Also see ERIC - Elagabalus ElagabalusBy Jim Phelps One of the more unusual rulers of the Roman Empire has to be Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Born Varius Avitus Bassianus in 204, he belonged to the family who were the high priests of the Syrian sun god, Elagabalus, the local version of Baal. Because of his dedication to his god, Avitus has come to be known as Elagabalus. More importantly for his eventual rule, he was also the grand-nephew of Septimius Severus, and therefore the cousin of the emperors Caracalla and Geta. His grandmother, Julia Maesa was the sister of the former empress, Julia Domna. Maesa convinced (perhaps bribed) a Syrian legion to proclaim the 14-year old Elagabalus as emperor, and the Severan dynasty was quickly restored. His 4-year reign was remarkable for his disregard and disrespect for Roman traditions. Though roundly condemned for this, it is important to remember that he was used as an excuse or a figurehead for Maesa's revolt. He had no apparent military training and would undoubtedly have lived his life quite contentedly in service to the Syrian sun god. Roman religious traditions were totally unlike Eastern, and his following of these Eastern religious rites shocked Rome. The fact that he had absolute rule from such a young age meant that his eccentricities developed quickly into outright perversions. His coinage includes his grandmother Julia Maesa, which continued under his cousin Severus Alexander. It also includes the three wives that he married and divorced in quick succession, before remarrying his second wife. An unusual feature of the coinage is the horn extending forward from Elagabalus' forehead on a few of the series. Though less common than the non-horned portraits, they are still fairly easy to acquire. Horns were a long-established symbol of divinity in Eastern religions, and many examples can be seen in the coins of the Hellenistic dynasties. In artwork the Judeo-Christian prophet Moses sometimes even is shown with horns. The group of coins below all show a horned bust, proclaiming the divinity of the emperor himself. The reverses show the emperor sacrificing to his god with legends identifying him more as a priest rather than a ruler. From a simple engraving standpoint, the star should have been behind Elagabalus, lending more balance to the design. The fact that it is shown directly in front of the emperor leaves no question that the star represents the sun-god to whom Elagabalus sacrifices. Silver Denarius minted 220-222Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev: INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG - "The Unconquerable Priest Augustus" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress facing, holding a club upright and sacrificing from a patera over a lit altar. A bull lies behind the altar, and a star is in the left field above. Van Meter 36/2, RSC III 61 Silver Denarius minted 220-222 Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev: SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG - "The High Priest Augustus" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress standing half-left, holding a branch downward and sacrificing from a patera over a lit tripod altar. A star is in the left field above. Van Meter 63/1, RSC III 276 Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate and draped bust right, with horn. Rev: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB - "The Priest of the Sun God Baal" - Elagabalus in Syrian religious dress standing right, holding a club upright and sacrificing from a patera over an altar. A star is in the right field above. Van Meter 56, RSC III 246 REFERENCESBanti, A. & L. Simonetti. Corpus Nummorum Romanorum. (Florence, 1972-1979).Calicó, E. The Roman Avrei, Vol. I: From the Republic to Pertinax, 196 BC - 193 AD. (Barcelona, 2003). Cohen, H. Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'Empire Romain, Vol. 4: Septimius Severus to Maximinus Thrax. (Paris, 1884). Mattingly, H., E. Sydenham & C.H.V. Sutherland. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol IV, From Pertinax to Uranius Antoninus. (London, 1986). Mattingly, H. & R. Carson. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. 5: Pertinax to Elagabalus. (London, 1950). Mouchmov, N. Le Tresor Numismatique De Reka-Devnia (Marcianopolis). (Sofia, 1934). Robinson, A. Roman Imperial Coins in the Hunter Coin Cabinet, University of Glasgow, Vol. III. Pertinax to Aemilian. (Oxford, 1977). Seaby, H. & Sear, D. Roman Silver Coins, Volume III, Pertinax to Balbinus and Pupienus. (London, 1982). Sear, D. Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. II: The Accession of Nerva to the Overthrow of the Severan Dynasty AD 96 - AD 235. (London, 2002). Vagi, D. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. (Sidney, 1999). OBVERSE LEGENDSANTONINVSFELPIVSAVGANTONINVSPFELAVG ANTONINVSPIVSAVG ANTONINVSPIVSFEL ANTONINVSPIVSFELAVG (ALSO USED BY CARACALLA) IMPANTONINVSAVG IMPANTONINVSPIVSAVG IMPANTONINVSPIVSFELIX IMPANTONINVSPIVSFELIXAVG IMPCAESANTONINVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSPFAVG IMPCAESMAVRANTONINVSPIVSAVG IMPCAESMAVRSEANTONINVSAVG IMPCMAVRANTONINVSPFAVG IMP M AVR ANTONIN PIVS AVG DICTIONARY| OF ROMAN| COINS|
View whole page from the |Dictionary Of Roman Coins| |