Severus Alexander's passage on his way to war in the East

[seth77]

1. The Koinon of Macedonia, Macedonia province.

 

This is one of the scarcer and most interesting coins minted at Veroia for the Koinon of Macedonia in the Roman age. And the pairing of Severus Alexander with an Alexander commemorative is no coincidence as you'll see below:

AE27mm 11g bronze (copper) assarion(?), minted at Veroia, ca. 231.
ΑΥ Κ Μ Α ϹE ΑΛEXΑΝΔΡΟϹ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander (youthful), r. seen from rear
KOINON MAKEΔONΩN NEΩKO; Alexander the Great riding Bucephalus galloping r., his mantle floating behind him, holding couched lance
RPC VI 411, AMNG 308

 

The reverse type and legend dates this issue to around 231 (confirmation of the first neokoriate) -- the regular series being civic issues celebrating Alexander the Great. This type with the emperor effigy is rather rare (3specs of this variation in RPC and very few specs of each variation which has the Imperial effigy instead of Alexander the Great), especially when compared to the civic issues minted between 231 and 235. There was no Imperial bust of Severus Alexander in the coins dated to his reign from the Seres hoard (M. Antoniadou - The 'Seres 1966' Hoard: A Contribution to the Coinage of the Macedonian Koinon during the Roman Imperial Period, 2020) but the reverse is well represented in the coinage of the period. It is possible that an issue was struck for the emperor using the regular Alexander the Great on Bucephalus reverse in 231, while Severus Alexander was in Macedonia at the beginning of his Persian campaign (Antoniadou p. 26) which would account for the scarcity of the type: a combination of Severus Alexander obverse with the Alexander the Great reverse to mark the emperor's profectio to the East to fight the Persians. Very fitting and flattering towards Severus Alexander, who by this time had already started the official parallel between himself and the Greatest Alexander - useful for boosting troop morale in a war in the East.

Another point of interest is the reverse legend that shows a potentially filled up letter B in the die, which would have referenced the second neokoriate, the situation instated by Elagabal in 218, but revoked under Alexander when Elagabal was damnatio memoriae. So it is possible that an earlier die was modified to fit the neokoriate situation in 231, when Alexander passed through Macedonia after gathering troops from Illyria on his way to the East (A.B. Ertel - Life of Severus Alexander, BA thesis, 1984, p. 85). A similar specimen minted under Severus Alexander but before the revocation of the second neokoriate with a very similar style and reverse legend -- ending in NEΩKO rather than the more regular NEΩ -- here.

So what actually happened to the status of neokoria of Veroia very schematically:

1. 96-98 Veroia receives the status of metropolis and also neokoros from Nerva

2. 218 Elagabal offers the privilege of a second neokoriate -- so another temple dedicated to the religious service for the Sebastoi (dedicated to the Imperial cult)

3. 222 Elagabal is overthrown and gets damnatio memoriae which includes his privilege bestowed to Veroia for the second neokoriate but that does not happen instantly as obvious from the Alexander the Great commemorative coinage under Severus Alexander still referencing the second neokoriate, perhaps even as late as 230(?)

4. 231 Alexander gathering his troops from Illyria passes through Macedonia, perhaps stationing at Veroia or setting camp close-by; with this occasion he confirms the first neokoriate and the metropolis statute of the city and the importance of the koinon

5. 239 Gordian offers a new second neokoria privilege

 

The Serres hoard has no coin in the name of the emperor despite much of it being from the reign of Alexander. As a very likely random assortment of coinage from 240+ it shows the scarcity of the 231 issue with the Imperial effigy and/or the fact that these coins did not last long into circulation, unlike the regular commemoratives. For the denomination, Antoniadou (p.31) suggests that it was the assarion, following the pattern of minting that was common in Macedonia in the 3rd century; at 10-12g a piece, this coin was likely the local equivalent of the Imperial as. 

Double die-match with this specimen in RPC.

Edited December 15, 2022 by seth77

[seth77]

2. Dorylaeum, in Phrygia

 

This is an even rarer coin.

AE32mm 15.75g brass (orichalcum) multiple assaria, minted at Dorylaeum ca. 231.
Μ ΑΥΡ ⳞΕΥΗ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟⳞ ΑΥΓ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander, l., seen from rear, holding spear and shield (decorated with Nike in biga)
[ΕΠΙ ΤΕΤΡΩΝΙΑΝ] - ΟΥ ΔΟΡΥΛΑΕΩΝ; Cybele seated on throne between two lions, l., holding patera and leaning elbow on tympanum
unrecorded

 

Dorylaeum is generally a scarcely represented city in the coinage of Phrygia.

This issue for Severus Alexander is completely unattested but it is comprised of two known dies -- RPC VI 5722 for obverse and 5720 for reverse. Tetronianos as archon is the only magistrate recorded for this reign but the special bust type given to the emperor on this coin could help date the issue (and his tenure as archon) to around 231, when Alexander was moving East towards his Persian campaign.

The obverse portrait is in fact very similar to the 'Aboukir/Tarsus medallions' depicting Caracalla but attributed to the reign of Severus Alexander (C. Vermeule - Alexander the Great, the emperor Severus Alexander and the Aboukir Medallions, Plate 5, 2):

Aboukir, 1902

The Aboukir hoard was an Egyptian find, but production seems to be from somewhere in Cilicia, perhaps Tarsus itself.
 

Tarsus, 1863 BnF

 

Alexander had already claimed to be directly descendant from Caracalla -- a probably fictitious genealogy supported by Mamaea who had been supposedly in an affair with Caracalla. This connection to Caracalla (and in a larger context to Septimius Severus) served the emperor twofold:

1. it was useful in the context that both emperors used the mythology of Alexander the Great and Severus Alexander did so during his ongoing Persian conflict in 231

2. it bolstered his place in the Severan dynasty cementing his legitimacy as emperor after the fiasco with Elagabal

Furthermore, such a rare appearance as a military bust on base metal local coinage is likely tied to an event of proportions -- as with the gold medallions -- perhaps the actual presence of Severus Alexander at Dorylaeum on his way East (an/or in his return). Vermeule discusses the probability that the precious medallions were offered directly by the emperor in connection to contests and games (not unlike the events that took place in relation to the local neokoriates or at the Aktian-Pythian games), adding a degree of truthfulness to the note in Historia Augusta regarding how "he used to preside at contests, particularly at the Hercules contest which was held in honor of Alexander the Great."

The distance from Dorylaeum to Tarsus and viceversa.

 

The reverse shows the standard representation of Cybele enthroned with her lions flanking the throne, her patera and her tympanum. The craft employed on the dies for the base metal coinage is not even close to the exquisite style of the gold presentation pieces, but a degree of care and skill is present on these low-value items also, as can be seen on this specimen despite the intense wear:

The two lions flanking Cybele's throne -- shown one exactly under her seat and the other at the front of her feet plus the adjuncts of the goddess and the pose are elegant still after likely decades of circulation.

 

Being a Phrygian goddess, Cybele is a regular fixture on the coinage of Dorylaeum ever since the beginning of the local issues under Vespasian, but this is the largest denomination to be minted by this city. It's also the first time in around 150 years that a local archon signs the coinage.

Edited December 15, 2022 by seth77

[seth77]

3. Hierapolis in Syria Coele

Hierapolis in Syria Coele has a series of coins minted for Severus Alexander which are rather homogeneous in both denominations and subject matter, showing mainly Atargatis on throne or on lion on the reverse. Atargatis is the north-eastern Syrian variation of Phrygian Cybele, but with a powerful local connection to Hierapolis-Bambyce as 'baalat Bambyce' -- the Lady of Bambyce, with a very powerful local cult spanning Syria and Mesopotamia and possibly as far south as Ashkelon, where a form of her was worshiped as Atzirat, the mermaid goddess of the sea.

AE29mm 12.81g copper multiple unit
ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ ΑΥΡ ϹƐ ΑΛƐΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ ϹƐ[B]; radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander, r., seen from rear
[ΘƐΑϹ ϹΥΡΙΑϹ] ΙƐΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ; Atargatis seated on throne between two lions, r., wearing kalathos, holding tympanum and leaning elbow on throne
RPC VI 8133

 

Presented as goddess of Syria, Atargatis is shown with the attributes of Cybele -- the lions flanking her throne and the tympanum. The minting of these related types for Severus Alexander with Atargatis-Cybele in the city that was the center of the cult of Atargatis since archaic times, in a context of relative lack of coherent minting previously, might indicate an important event, likely the presence of the emperor in the city, or perhaps some other activities related to the war in the East. In fact the previous coinage at Hierapolis was also war-related, being represented mostly by the billon tetradrachms minted for Caracalla ca. 215-17.

None of these coins that constitute this cohesive issue is common (RPC 8133 is represented by 5 specs) so they were probably struck for a rather brief period, around 231-2.

Edited February 6 by seth77

[Spaniard]

@seth77

Thoroughly enjoyed your write up Thanks...

[seth77]

1 hour ago, Spaniard said:

@seth77

Thoroughly enjoyed your write up Thanks...

Hey, thanks, I was starting to feel like I was talking to myself.

[Severus Alexander]

Unsurprisingly, I have a strong interest in these issues of SA connected with his eastern campaign, perhaps the most important event of the reign.  I did see the first two coins when you originally posted them, but it was a super busy time and I didn't get a chance to engage with them properly. So I'm glad you posted this new one!

I don't have much to add to your excellent discussion.  It would be very interesting to compare the output of the various Asian mints under SA starting in 229/30 vs. their outputs prior to that in the way you've done with Dorylaeum and Hierapolis.  Certainly there are quite a number of mints whose output increased.  Is it a general phenomenon in the area connected with the massive campaign, or is there a more focused route of the emperor that might be traced?  The same thing might be asked about the military busts.  I've noticed quite a few of these in the Mesopotamian output, for example... not sure how common they are elsewhere.

Here's my own example of an SA coin from Hierapolis, same period, with just the lion:

While Atargatis-Cybele isn't depicted, the reverse legend ΘƐΑϹ ϹΥΡΙΑϹ clearly refers to her.  (I intend to clean this coin further, which will hopefully make the legends clearer.) RPC VI 8142(temp).

I mentioned the military busts on Mesopotamian coins.  I don't have one (yet), but I do have this regular bust from Nisibis, certainly associated with the campaign.  Interestingly, Maximinus Thrax may have been a high ranking officer based in Mesopotamia at this time.

^ RPC VI 7937(temp)

From Phrygia, I have this coin for Cotiaeum, again likely associated with the campaign (RPC VI 5800(temp)):

 

As well as this "heroic" (and hilarious!) bust from the same city. Unpublished:

[Orange Julius]

56 minutes ago, seth77 said:

Hey, thanks, I was starting to feel like I was talking to myself.

I agree, I thought the posts were excellent! I’m sure others are like me… I enjoyed the coins and information but don’t have anything to add. …at least I don’t thing so, I’ll take a look through my collection. Keep it up!

[seth77]

Hi, @Severus Alexander, I think, without being certain, that the specs I posted relate in some way with the close whereabouts of the emperor during this campaign.

In the case of the Koinon of Macedonia, the output was throughout the Severan and up to Gordian III period high to very high, especially the Alexander the Great types (which can be dated to Severus Alexander and Gordian), but the pairing of Severus Alexander bust to a modified reverse die with a neokoriate modified from second neokoriate at the time when the emperor confirmed Veroia's statute as he was passing through Macedonia heading East has a strong possibility to be related with the imperial presence at least in the general area of the Koinon, possibly at Veroia itself. 

Both Dorylaeum and Hierapolis-Bambyce have a history of off-and-on minting, with Alexander's types as a spike of issues. Of interest here in both cases is the strong connection with Caracalla and his previous campaign East. It seems the actual prototype for the Atargatis issues under SA was a very rare issue for Caracalla, while billon tetradrachms from ca. 215-17 were minted with some regularity at Hierapolis, spilling over into the reign of Macrinus. 

Dorylaeum is such a scarce mint that when you look for coins on acsearch you only get around two dozen entries for all its minting period, with operations resembling a coherent coinage series for Trajan (possibly also related to the imperial presence in the East ca. 115-17), surprisingly Commodus and Severus Alexander. In the latter's case, the military bust connected to Caracalla's medallions and his interest in presiding over local games as mentioned in HA could point to an actual presence in the city.

There is also a coherence in themes in Asia -- both Dorylaeum and Hierapolis used a cybelean iconography, with Cybele proper being native to Phrygia while a synthetic representation of Atargatis with the pose and attributes of Cybele at Hierapolis ties it to both the bigger picture of Oriental beliefs in Roman Asia and a very local cult that was Atargatis at Hierapolis. 

I also suspect that the choice of a motherly character is not a coincidence since Julia Mamaea's influence was obvious in the age. 

 

Edited February 7 by seth77

[quant.geek]

I read that title so totally wrong!  Thought it was horrible news about @Severus Alexander 😮

[Severus Alexander]

15 hours ago, seth77 said:

Hi, @Severus Alexander, I think, without being certain, that the specs I posted relate in some way with the close whereabouts of the emperor during this campaign.

I agree, also with your analyses summarized in this comment. I only meant to say that the case for these mints following the emperor's path eastwards would be strengthened by a contrastive analysis among the various mints. There could be two explanations for most of the various minting changes: 1) the campaign and its troop mobilization in general, or 2) the emperor's path.  If (1), we'd expect to see these changes for lots of mints in the region, without tracing any coherent path; whereas if (2) is the right explanation, we'd expect a much more focused group of mint changes that form a coherent itinerary.  No doubt some of the changes are explained by (1), and others by (2). For example, games-focused issues are better explained by the emperor's presence, especially given the literary evidence you presented.

Here's part of RPC's map of mints:

The research questions would be: How many of these (or at least the ones that issued coins in the late 2nd and early 3rd century) made changes to their production coincident with SA's campaign east, and how many did not? What changes did they make? Do any of these changes coincide with what's known about SA's travels?  (The same could be done for Caracalla and Gordian.)

15 hours ago, seth77 said:

I also suspect that the choice of a motherly character is not a coincidence since Julia Mamaea's influence was obvious in the age. 

Very interesting suggestion! Of course the military grumbled about "that woman's interference," so there was also a good reason to downplay her role. Though it's not clear the regime paid much attention to that reason!

33 minutes ago, quant.geek said:

I read that title so totally wrong!  Thought it was horrible news about @Severus Alexander 😮

Nope, still kickin'! In fact, there's evidence that my current treatment is having some effect in zapping my tumours; I'll know more in a couple weeks. Unfortunately it's in the nature of these treatments that they eventually peter out (basically the cancer mutates to evade them), but hopefully I'll be hanging in there for a couple years yet, possibly even longer! Meanwhile, I suppose I should avoid trips east? 😆

[Severus Alexander]

Oh, and I meant to post my new Koinon coin issued under SA.  I particularly wanted a depiction of Alex bridling Bukephalos, but they are much harder to snag.  But just last night I noticed one in an auction this morning (misidentified as an Elagabalus issue) and managed to win it.  Not a beauty, but it fits the bill:

The reverse legend is ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΜΑΚƐΔΟΝΩΝ ΝƐΩ; RPC 470(temp), only one example in their database.

I'd love to get one like yours, with the emperor's portrait, @seth77!

[Orange Julius]

1 hour ago, Severus Alexander said:

Oh, and I meant to post my new Koinon coin issued under SA.  I particularly wanted a depiction of Alex bridling Bukephalos, but they are much harder to snag.  But just last night I noticed one in an auction this morning (misidentified as an Elagabalus issue) and managed to win it.  Not a beauty, but it fits the bill:

The reverse legend is ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΜΑΚƐΔΟΝΩΝ ΝƐΩ; RPC 470(temp), only one example in their database.

I'd love to get one like yours, with the emperor's portrait, @seth77!

That’s a great coin! I love these and have one myself (although a bit different) that is a favorite.

MACEDON. Koinon. Pseudo-autonomous. Time of Gordian III (238-244 AD).
Obv: AΛEΞANΔPOY. Diademed head of Alexander right; lightning bolt ("blitz") below neck on right.
Rev: KOINON MAKE-ΔONΩN B NE - Ω below E, Alexander standing on left, placing harness on Bucephalus rearing on right. AMNG III 557

[seth77]

13 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

I agree, also with your analyses summarized in this comment. I only meant to say that the case for these mints following the emperor's path eastwards would be strengthened by a contrastive analysis among the various mints. There could be two explanations for most of the various minting changes: 1) the campaign and its troop mobilization in general, or 2) the emperor's path.  If (1), we'd expect to see these changes for lots of mints in the region, without tracing any coherent path; whereas if (2) is the right explanation, we'd expect a much more focused group of mint changes that form a coherent itinerary.  No doubt some of the changes are explained by (1), and others by (2). For example, games-focused issues are better explained by the emperor's presence, especially given the literary evidence you presented.

Here's part of RPC's map of mints:

The research questions would be: How many of these (or at least the ones that issued coins in the late 2nd and early 3rd century) made changes to their production coincident with SA's campaign east, and how many did not? What changes did they make? Do any of these changes coincide with what's known about SA's travels?  (The same could be done for Caracalla and Gordian.)

 

That would be a very big and very useful undertaking. As I have noticed this type of aggregated data research is not at all common in the 'provincial' field, that is most academic numismatists working in local museums or universities are only concerned with local ancient minting cities that are in the national territory of their countries without much interest in the 'bigger picture' while collectors are usually less inclined to have the time, resources and interest to carry such an undertaking.

I would think that any city with a 'special' issue at a particular time when the emperor was known to be in the general region, especially conducting military operations or undertaking a vast campaign of legitimacy and prestige building (Alexander was doing both on his route East through his reinforcing of the Caracalla connection and the myth of Alexander the Great) might mark the presence of the emperor in that city. This goes especially further on up this argument when the city or town has an unexpected output at that particular time, including 'special' or 'military' bust types, as in the case of Dorylaeum.

I must admit that mapping the road taken by the emperor to and from a border campaign on account of particular coinage minted by the various local authorities encountered is very appealing.

[quant.geek]

21 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Nope, still kickin'! In fact, there's evidence that my current treatment is having some effect in zapping my tumours; I'll know more in a couple weeks. Unfortunately it's in the nature of these treatments that they eventually peter out (basically the cancer mutates to evade them), but hopefully I'll be hanging in there for a couple years yet, possibly even longer! Meanwhile, I suppose I should avoid trips east? 😆

Glad to hear this!