Watch List notes:

The Roman Empire

Septimius Severus, 193 – 211. Aureus 194, AV 7.34 g. L·SEPT·SEV PE – RT AVG IMP II Laureate head r. Rev. DIS·AVSPI – CIB·T – R – P II Hercules on l., standing l., holding club in r. hand and lion's skin in l., and Bacchus on r., standing l., holding oinochoe in r. hand over panther and thyrsus in l.; in exergue, COS II P P. C 113. BMC 58. RIC 25. Calicó 2445a.
Rare. A lovely portrait and a very interesting reverse composition.
Virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex Sotheby's 19 February 1969, M. Aubery, 33; Leu 91, 2004, 590 and Künker 94, 2004, 1974 sales.
Struck in A.D. 194 shortly before Septimius Severus left to confront the pretender Pescennius Niger in the East, the reverse of this lovely gold aureus depicts the demi-gods Hercules and Liber (Bacchus), the patron deities of the emperor's hometown of Leptis Magna, a seaside city with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. The legend calls on the divine heralds (Dis Auspicibus) to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity for the Roman world of the Severan dynasty. Septimius favored his hometown, spending magnificent sums on a lavish revitalization program. He built a new forum, docks, a basilica, and a monumental triumphal arch amongst other structures, and the city prospered greatly due to his attention. This prosperity did not last long, however; within just a few decades after his reign the city had been partially abandoned. Fortunately for the visitor today, the ruins have survived the ravages of time remarkably well: the site today presents us with some of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins throughout the Mediterranean world.