Caracalla with Dea Caelestis

[expat]

Finally got my first Caracalla. It has a lovely portrait and and an energetic reverse. I love it.

Ref Caracalla AR Denarius, Rome 19 mm. 2,94 g.  
RIC 130a, RSC 97, BMC 280
Caracalla 196-198 AD. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right / INDVLGENTIA AVGG, IN CARTH below, Dea Caelestis (Cybele)  riding lion springing right over water gushing from rocks on left, holding thunderbolt & sceptre, and wearing ”City Wall” crown.
Purchased from Aeternitas Numismaticas 12th Aug. 2023.
Ex, Solidus Numismatik auction 106, Lot # 1580 11th Oct. 2022

 

[Prieure de Sion]

51 minutes ago, expat said:

Finally got my first Caracalla. It has a lovely portrait and and an energetic reverse. I love it.

 

Great type.

A little story about this back. I'm not quite sure any more - whether I'll get it all together. And whether I'm getting it all right. The reverse also exists, for example, with the father and the brother Geta.

The occasion is said to have been the visit of the imperial family to Carthage in 203 AD. 

There is an eerie story about this visit of the imperial family - it is about the Christian martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas. According to surviving early Christian eyewitness accounts, the noble Perpetua and her slave Felicitas were arrested in Roman Carthage in 203 AD and sentenced to death because they were preparing for baptism and refused to renounce their faith. The execution in the amphitheatre took place on the occasion of Geta's birthday celebration!

So when I see this type - I always have to think of Perpetua and Felicitas - and the gruesome thought - how both had to give their lives in the amphitheatre on Geta's birthday.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetua_and_Felicity 

 

[expat]

I wasn´t aware of that story. Dark days of History, indeed!

[Limes]

Congratz! I really like the reverse design. Your example is really nice!

Some (or all?) Roman emperors were quite.... eeeh... sadistic. Ill just ease my mind with the thought of happiness that occurred with the people of Carthage for the newly established water supply. Or at least, thats how the rest of the story goes, if I remember correctly. 

I have dad, with the same reverse. 

[ambr0zie]

Nice coin. I also have the type posted above by @Limes

 

A variety of this reverse shows Dea Caelestis holding a drum, not a thunderbolt. As far as I know these are a little harder to find

Not my coin:

[dougsmit]

7 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

A variety of this reverse shows Dea Caelestis holding a drum, not a thunderbolt. As far as I know these are a little harder to find

I would say much harder to find.  My T-bolt Geta is fourree.  I have not seen a solid one. 

I do not have a drum Caracalla in silver but there is this as. 

T-bolts are common.

Both are found for Septimius but the drums are much less frequently seen.