OTD 211 CE, Septimius Severus can't take Julia Domna asking what to do with her hair anymore/ The death and birth of Rome's first openly militaristic dynasty

[Ryro]

1,813 years ago Septimius Severus fell ill and died on campaign against the Caledonians in Britainia.

Septimius Severus (193-211 AD). Emesa

AR Denarius (17.2mm 2.96g)

Obv: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II. Laureate head right.

Rev: FORTVN REDVC Fortuna standing left, holding palm in right hand, cornucopia in left.

BMC 357; Cohen 175; RIC 383.

Septimius Severus; 193-211 AD, Rome, (Silver, 2.59g 17mm) 197 AD, Denarius, BM-224, C-349 (3 Fr.), RIC-100. Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT - AVG IMP VIIII Head laureate r. Rx: MVNIFICENTIA AVG Elephant walking

MOESIA INFERIOR. Nicopolis ad Istrum. Septimius Severus (193-211). Ae.

Obv: AV [...]Π CEVHPOC. Laureate head right. Rev: NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC IC. Ithyphallic Priapus standing left, revealing himself. Cf. Varbanov 2366. Condition: Near very fine, Weight: 2.74 g.

Before dying he would tell his sons:

If Caracalla and Geta's co-emperorship was a workshop it would've been a dissatis-factory. After ordering his brother's murder in his own mother's arms Caracalla would damn the memory of Geta. Which included putting cigarettes out on his face!

MESOPOTAMIA. Edessa. Septimius Severus, with Caracalla and Geta, 193-211. Ae (bronze, 3.66 g, 20 mm). [...] Laureate head of Septimius to right, facing laureate and draped bust of Caracalla to left. Rev. [..]AVP[..], bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust of Geta to right; before, crescent on filleted globe. Lindgren II, 2559; cf. Nomos obolos 17, lot 550; Roma 88, lot 638. Nearly very fine. Extremely rare

Julia Domna Denarius . 193-196 AD . Rome . (Ric- 536 ). Ob .: IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Bust draped to the right . Rev .: VENERI VICTR, Venus standing to the right, leaning on a column, holding a palm and an apple . Ag . 3.18 g. Displaced. Tone . EBC . Tauler & Fau Jan 2021

Caracalla and Geta Æ27 of Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior. AD 209-211. AY K M AY ANTΩNINOC AY K Π C ΓETAC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Caracalla, facing laureate and draped bust of Geta left / Y +Λ OYΛΠIANOY MAPKIANOΠOΛITΩN, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopiae; lighted altar and Є (mark of value) to left, eagle above dolphin to right. H&J, Marcianopolis, 6.20.38.1-2; Varbanov 1085 (same obv. die as illustration). 11 gr, 27mm, 1h. 

GETA CAES Pont/Felicitas- PVBLICA Felicitas stands N.L. Ric 9a, BMC 220-221, c. 38a, Hill 654.

Caracalla, 198-217. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.00 g, 12 h), Rome, 217. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM Laureate head of Caracalla to right. Rev. P M TR P XX COS IIII P P Jupiter standing front, head to left, holding thunderbolt in his right hand and long scepter in his left. BMC 180. Cohen 373. RIC 285a. Light deposits and with a minor edge crack, otherwise, good extremely fine. Purchased from Leu Feb 2022

Did you know? Septimius Severus actually died in 208, but his magical beard would rule for the 3 more years on machismo alone. 

Please post your Severans, thoughts or anything beardy!

Edited February 4 by Ryro

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Cool thread. I don't think I've purchased any individual Septimius coins since the 90's.  I have a decent number of Caracalla.  Here are a couple.

Caracalla (198-217). Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.64g, 11h). Rome, 213-7. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. R/ Securitas seated r., propping head with hand, holding sceptre; altar before. RIC IV 573a.

 

Caracalla (198-217). Cilicia, Tarsus. Æ (35mm, 13.29g, 6h). Laureate and cuirassed bust r., slight drapery. R/ Emperor standing l., togate, sacrificing over altar. Cf. SNG BnF 1527-8 (for rev. type)

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

An uncleaned Tetradrachm:

Seleucis and Pieria. Laodicea ad Mare under Caracalla (AD 192-217). Struck in 4th consulship (AD 215-217). AR tetradrachm (29mm, 14.88g). Laureate bust of Caracalla r. / Eagle with spread wings standing facing, head l., holding wreath in beak; star between legs. cf. Prieur 1179 (different legends).

The white stuff on the obverse is hard, shiny and smooth in person, and it looks very much like flowstone, the stuff which shows up in wet, abandoned mine videos.  Are there wet caves in that area?  Strange.

[expat]

Nice coins, folks.

Here is a family shot

[ambr0zie]

This is one of the most pleasant collecting areas - vast number of coins and with attractive themes. 

Here are some of mine - one provincial, one imperial from each character. 

 

 

[Al Kowsky]

[LONGINUS]

 

Excellent post, @Ryro!

 

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I hope Caracalla’s ghost doesn’t come after me for this 😱

 

 

 

Edited February 4 by LONGINUS

[ominus1]

...i've gotta get a new family photo of the bunch...:)...(and a tip o de hat to @Ryro for me Venus reverse Julia ^^)

[Curtis JJ]

a few favorite Septimii ...

From my "captives collection," the Parthian captive on the right is standing up not seated, which is unusual (also, balancing his knee on a helmet), a scarce variety (RIC 214). I got this one because it had the best rendering of the captives I'd seen on this particular type:

 

From my "bibliographic collection" of Roman Provincials:

I like the Septimius portraits from Moesia, Nicopolis. Also like the Nemesis reverse (or, I guess, the syncretic deity Nemesis-Aequitas, since she has the scales).

Varbanov 2558 (this coin illustrated) = ex K.H. Kluger (Germany?) & P. Fischer (d. 2013, Aarbug) Collections = Wildwinds "digital plate coin." Not sure yet if anywhere in HHJ Nicopolis.

 

Here's an AE (2.78g) from Maeonia. Hercules on reverse:

Kurth GRPC Lydia 126 (this coin illustrated) = ex Sammlung G. Plankenhorn (1941-), 1078.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO GET THE GEPHYRA SUPPLEMENT BY NOLLE PUBLISHING PLANENKORN LYDIA?

(Not Plankenhorn Mysia/Mysien, but: "J. Nollé – G. Plankenhorn, Münzen lydischer Städte der Sammlung Gerhard Plankenhorn (Gephyra Suppl.), Istanbul 2016" OR 2014, I've also seen it as: "Münzen lydischer Städte der Sammlung Gerhard Plankenhorn, Nomismata NF1 (Bonn 2014).")
I'm starting to believe it doesn't exist!!

 

Honorable mention... from my archive of Sold Coins... (sadly, in this case

)

[Marsyas Mike]

My most recent Septimius Severus is this sestertius, which kind of baffles me (recent post on my bafflement here): 

 

Septimius Severus Æ Sestertius (196 A.D.) Rome Mint L SEPT SEV PE[RT AVG IMP VIII], laureate head right / SECV[RITAS PVBLICA] | SC in exergue | EC and S in field r. (from double-strike/strike-over), Securitas seated r. holding globe  RIC IV 729a; Cohen RSC 649. (20.59 grams / 28 x 26 mm) eBay Jan. 2024 

Notes:  Cuirassed type scarce; no examples of head-only type in OCRE or BM; found only one other head-only, not a die-match, w. slight drapery (but no cuirass):

MA-Shops MA-ID: 828500960 Münzhandlung André Cichos Weight: 16.28 g  Diameter: 26.00 mm RIC 729, C.649 Selten! (Rare!) 

Note:  Reverse flip-over double strike or struck over another type?  Knee, arm and globe repeated at back of throne, as is EC of inscription.  Extra S in field behind throne may indicate this was struck over other coin? Obverse has faint doubling on beard at chin. 

My most recent Julia Domna is also a sestertius - it has the reverse in the accusative case IVNONEM - there is an academic article devoted to why this may be the "case" (ha ha ha - see below) 😁:  

Julia Domna Æ Sestertius (211-217 / 211-215 A.D.) Rome Mint IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, draped bust right / I[VN]ONEM, S-C, Juno standing left, holding patera and sceptre; at feet, left, peacock RIC IV Caracalla 585b; BMCRE (Caracalla) 210; Cohen RSC 90. (17.32 grams / 29 x 27 mm) eBay Jan. 2024  

Note:  Dates, emission info: RIC/OCRE/BM:  211-217 A.D. CNG: 211-215 A.D.

Die-Match Obverse: 

American Numismatic Society Identifier: 1944.100.51365 (OCRE example)

Roma Numismatics Limited E-Live Auction 1; Lot 697; 25.07.2018

 Note:  "CEREREM and IVNONEM. Why the Accusative Case? Two Rare Reverse Legends..." ...In summary, Julia Domna’s coins with the accusatives...IVNONEM (sestertius RIC IV Caracalla 585)... are the first Roman imperial coins in which this grammatical case indicates the fact of consecration of a statue of a god or goddess....these reverses suggest that they possibly present an iconography of real statues..." B. Awianowicz

https://www.academia.edu/48992090/CEREREM_and_IVNONEM_Why_the_Accusative_Case_Two_Rare_Reverse_Legends_on_Coins_of_Julia_D…

[Roman Collector]

One of my favorite Severan "dynasty" coins is this one, celebrating the motherhood of Julia Domna. I bought it from HJB years ago. It was formerly of the Bement collection.