Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 135 21 Nov 2022
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
The Roman Empire. Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus.
Aureus circa 196-211, AV 7.16 g. IVLIA – AVGVSTA Draped bust r. Rev. MA – TER DEVM Cybele seated l. on throne, towered, holding branch in r. hand and resting l. elbow on drum; on either side of throne, a lion crouching l. C 126. BMC S. Severus 50. RIC S. Severus 565. Calicó 2629 (this obverse die).
A lovely portrait and a finely detailed reverse composition. Minor marks on reverse
at twelve o'clock, otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Ex M&M 44, 1971, 93; Leu 91, 2004, 597 and Hess-Divo 311, 2008, 565 sales.
In AD 187, Septimius Severus is said to have sought out and married Julia Domna in response to an oracle that foretold his future rise to imperial power. At the time, he was a commander in the Roman army and she was the daughter of one of the hereditary priests of Elagabal, the sun god of Emesa. She had a warm relationship with her husband, giving birth to their two sons, L. Septimius Bassianus (popularly known as Caracalla) and P. Septimius Geta, and regularly following Severus on his various military campaigns. She was with him even during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors (AD 193), which ended with Severus assuming power in Rome as the new Emperor. Julia Domna received the title of Augusta at the same time that Severus became Augustus. Of the many titles conferred by S. Severus, the emphasis on Julia Domna as imperial mother, not only to the two heirs Caracalla and Geta, but also to segments of Roman society is illustrated on this aureus. This coin associates the empress with Cybele, the MATER DEVM (mother of gods), perhaps extending the reach of the imperial mother by association with the mother of the gods; as Cybele is the supreme divine mother, so Julia Domna is the supreme mother to mortals. Unfortunately, the job of any mother is a tough one and Julia Domna's was especially tough. Caracalla and Geta had grown to hate each other through the disparity of power allotted to them by their father. While Severus lived, she was able to hold the family together, but after his death in AD 211, everything fell apart. Before the end of that year, she found herself cradling a bloody Geta in her arms, murdered by his own brother. She went on to serve in the imperial chancery under Caracalla, but after he was assassinated in AD 217 she took her own life in despair.
Aureus circa 196-211, AV 7.16 g. IVLIA – AVGVSTA Draped bust r. Rev. MA – TER DEVM Cybele seated l. on throne, towered, holding branch in r. hand and resting l. elbow on drum; on either side of throne, a lion crouching l. C 126. BMC S. Severus 50. RIC S. Severus 565. Calicó 2629 (this obverse die).
A lovely portrait and a finely detailed reverse composition. Minor marks on reverse
at twelve o'clock, otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Ex M&M 44, 1971, 93; Leu 91, 2004, 597 and Hess-Divo 311, 2008, 565 sales.
In AD 187, Septimius Severus is said to have sought out and married Julia Domna in response to an oracle that foretold his future rise to imperial power. At the time, he was a commander in the Roman army and she was the daughter of one of the hereditary priests of Elagabal, the sun god of Emesa. She had a warm relationship with her husband, giving birth to their two sons, L. Septimius Bassianus (popularly known as Caracalla) and P. Septimius Geta, and regularly following Severus on his various military campaigns. She was with him even during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors (AD 193), which ended with Severus assuming power in Rome as the new Emperor. Julia Domna received the title of Augusta at the same time that Severus became Augustus. Of the many titles conferred by S. Severus, the emphasis on Julia Domna as imperial mother, not only to the two heirs Caracalla and Geta, but also to segments of Roman society is illustrated on this aureus. This coin associates the empress with Cybele, the MATER DEVM (mother of gods), perhaps extending the reach of the imperial mother by association with the mother of the gods; as Cybele is the supreme divine mother, so Julia Domna is the supreme mother to mortals. Unfortunately, the job of any mother is a tough one and Julia Domna's was especially tough. Caracalla and Geta had grown to hate each other through the disparity of power allotted to them by their father. While Severus lived, she was able to hold the family together, but after his death in AD 211, everything fell apart. Before the end of that year, she found herself cradling a bloody Geta in her arms, murdered by his own brother. She went on to serve in the imperial chancery under Caracalla, but after he was assassinated in AD 217 she took her own life in despair.