Gemini, LLC
Auction X 13 January 2013
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Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. Aureus, 7.28g. (6h). Rome, 194 AD. Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT - AVG IMP IIII Head laureate right. Rx: ANNONA - AVGVSTI Annona standing left holding two wheat ears in right hand and cornucopia in left; on ground before her, modius containing three wheat ears and poppy; behind, stern of ship with hook-like extension and figures on its side, probably Victory crowning a trophy. Unpublished reverse type. FDC.
A new variant of the Annona type in the early coinage of Septimius Severus, struck from Septimius' only known IMP IIII obverse die for aurei, that acclamation marking his victory over Pescennius Niger at Issus in c. spring-summer 194 AD. Now a simpler Annona reverse type, without the ship's stern behind her and with legend ANNONA AVG COS II P P, had been introduced on sestertii and dupondii of Septimius a little earlier in 194, while the emperor was still IMP III, and was then continued when he became IMP IIII (BMC pl. 22.7); the message intended was apparently that Septimius would assure Rome a sufficient supply of grain while he was away in the East suppressing Niger's revolt. Our new aureus type changed the legend of the bronze coins to ANNONA AVGVSTI, and added a ship's stern behind Annona, an obvious attribute of the goddess, since grain had to be transported to Rome by sea. A type like ours, with Annona holding wheat ears and cornucopia between modius and prow, had appeared at intervals during the second century AD, namely for Trajan c. 106-7 (e.g. BMC pl. 12.13), for Hadrian in 118-9 (e.g. BMC pl. 76.7), for Antoninus Pius in 138-9 (e.g. BMC pl. 25.4), and finally for Marcus Aurelius in 177 (BMC pl. 68.15). After use on our new aureus of Septimius in 194, the type reappeared one final time on rare asses and sestertii of Caracalla in 202, now with the extraordinary legend ANN AVGG SAECVLI FELICISSIMI (HCC pl. 19, 77). In several of these types the ship's stern was shown adorned with a garland, and in a variant type of Commodus a figure of Victory ornaments the side of the stern (BMC pl. 103.14), providing parallels for the possible Victory crowning trophy on the ship's stern on the new aureus. The same IMP IIII obverse die of our aureus then surprisingly remained in use during the IMP V period in 195, as shown by its occurrence with Septimius' two successive forms of Eastern victory titles of that year, PART ARAB PART ADIAD and then merely ARAB ADIAB.
A new variant of the Annona type in the early coinage of Septimius Severus, struck from Septimius' only known IMP IIII obverse die for aurei, that acclamation marking his victory over Pescennius Niger at Issus in c. spring-summer 194 AD. Now a simpler Annona reverse type, without the ship's stern behind her and with legend ANNONA AVG COS II P P, had been introduced on sestertii and dupondii of Septimius a little earlier in 194, while the emperor was still IMP III, and was then continued when he became IMP IIII (BMC pl. 22.7); the message intended was apparently that Septimius would assure Rome a sufficient supply of grain while he was away in the East suppressing Niger's revolt. Our new aureus type changed the legend of the bronze coins to ANNONA AVGVSTI, and added a ship's stern behind Annona, an obvious attribute of the goddess, since grain had to be transported to Rome by sea. A type like ours, with Annona holding wheat ears and cornucopia between modius and prow, had appeared at intervals during the second century AD, namely for Trajan c. 106-7 (e.g. BMC pl. 12.13), for Hadrian in 118-9 (e.g. BMC pl. 76.7), for Antoninus Pius in 138-9 (e.g. BMC pl. 25.4), and finally for Marcus Aurelius in 177 (BMC pl. 68.15). After use on our new aureus of Septimius in 194, the type reappeared one final time on rare asses and sestertii of Caracalla in 202, now with the extraordinary legend ANN AVGG SAECVLI FELICISSIMI (HCC pl. 19, 77). In several of these types the ship's stern was shown adorned with a garland, and in a variant type of Commodus a figure of Victory ornaments the side of the stern (BMC pl. 103.14), providing parallels for the possible Victory crowning trophy on the ship's stern on the new aureus. The same IMP IIII obverse die of our aureus then surprisingly remained in use during the IMP V period in 195, as shown by its occurrence with Septimius' two successive forms of Eastern victory titles of that year, PART ARAB PART ADIAD and then merely ARAB ADIAB.