DETAIL: This is a very handsome silver denarius produced in the city of Rome itself sometime between 196 and 211 A.D. It is in relatively good condition, substantial wear from circulation in ancient Rome, but the legends and themes remain clear and distinct. It was well struck both front and back the result a little oblong, but unlike most coins of the era, the strike caught most of both the legends and the themes, and this is applicable to both the obverse as well as the reverse. The coin is just a little undersized, too small to catch the entire strike. But on the other hand, it is a very thick coin in remarkably high relief, almost as if it were ancient Greek coin. On the whole it is without a doubt a superior strike, the slightly undersized nature being more than made up by the thickness of the coin and the height of the relief. The obverse of the coin depicts bust of the Empress Julia Domna, depicted draped; and the legend "IVLIA AVGVSTA". "IVLIA" of course refers to the Empress's name, "Julia". There was no "J" in Roman Latin, the first "I" in "IVLIA" corresponding to an English "J".
The suffix "AVGVSTA" translates to "Augusta"; again, Roman Latin had no "U"; the "V" corresponding to an English "U". The term "Augusta" is the female version of "Augustus"; Latin for "majestic" (thus the honorific salutation "your majesty"). However the term "Augustus" in the common vernacular of the Roman Empire became synonymous with the Emperor (or Empress). The first "Augustus" (and first man counted as a Roman Emperor) was Octavius, Julis Caesar's nephew and heir. Octavian was given the title of Augustus by the Senate in 27 B.C. Over the next forty years, Caesar Augustus literally set the standard by which subsequent Emperors would be recognized, accumulating various offices and powers and making his own name ("Augustus") identifiable with the consolidation of these powers under a single person. Although the name signified nothing in constitutional theory, it was recognized as representing all the powers that Caesar Augustus eventually accumulated.
Caesar Augustus also set the standard by which Roman Emperors were named. The three titles used by the majority of Roman Emperors; "Imperator", "Caesar", and "Augustus" were all used personally by Caesar Augustus (he officially styled himself "Imperator Caesar Augustus"). However of the name "Augustus" was unique to the Emperor himself (though the Emperor's mother or wife could bear the name "Augusta"). But others could and did bear the titles "Imperator" and "Caesar". Later usage saw the Emperor adding the additional titles "Pius Felix ("pious and blessed") and "Invictus" ("unconquered") in addition to the title "Augustus"). In this usage, by signifying the complete assumption of all Imperial powers, "Augustus" became roughly synonymous with "Emperor" in modern language. As the Roman Empire began splintering, Augustus came to be the title applied to the senior Emperor, while the title "Caesar" came to refer to his "junior" sub-Emperors.
Julia Domna was born in Emesa, Syria about 170 A.D. Emesa was an important religious center/city sited on the trade route between Palmyra and Antioch. Julia Domna was the daughter of the High Priest of the Sun God Elagabal. In 187 A.D. Julia Domna was married to the Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus as his second wife (his first had died). The Libyan Septimius at the time was stationed at Emesa in command of a legion under the Emperor Marcus Aurleius. Julia Domna's sister, Julia Maesa, married a Syrian Imperial Magistrate and eventually became the grandmother to two future emperors. Julia Maesa had two daughters (to whom Julia Domna was Aunt). Julia Soaemias was the mother of future Emperor Elagabalus; Julia Mamaea was the mother of future Emperor Alexander Severus.
Julia Domna was reputed to be a woman of brilliant intellect, and frequently guided Septimius with respect to matters of importance. In 188 A.D. Julia Domna presented Septimius with his first son, Caracalla, who would later become the Roman Emperor most noted for murdering first his wife, then his younger brother, Geta. Julia gave birth to Septimius's second son, Geta, in 189 A.D. Caracalla and Geta were destined to become co-emperors after the death of their father. When Septimius Severus claimed the empire after Didius Julianus had succeeded Pertinax in 193 A.D., two serious rivals challenged him, Pescennius Niger in the East and Clodius Albinus in the West. Julia accompanied her husband in the campaign against Pescennius, having been honored with the title "Mater Castrorum" ("Mother of the Legionary Camp"). After this successful campaign, there was another campaign in the East, against the Parthians in 197 A.D. Afterwards she accompanied Severus on a journey to Egypt and other parts of the empire. She was widely honored with inscriptions throughout this period, and numerous coin issues emphasized her imperial position.
As a mother, her later years must have been tragic. She had once again accompanied her husband, with the two sons present as well, on campaign, against the Britons in 208 A.D. When Severus died at York in early 211 A.D., she returned to Rome with Caracalla and Geta. She persuaded the two sons to share the rule, as the emperor had wished on his deathbed. However after having lost her husband, she was destined to see in 212 A.D. her eldest son Carcalla, murder her youngest son Geta, as she actually held Geta in her arms. Caracalla, who subsequently ruled Rome with extreme cruelty, even ordered the execution of his wife. Caracalla himself was in turn murdered in 217 A.D. by his Praetorian Prefect, Macrinus, who thereafter ruled as emperor for just over one year. It was simply too much for Julia Domna. Having lost husband, daughter-in-law, and both sons, she died in the same year as Caracalla after intentionally starving herself to the death, probably aged 47, leaving her sister Julia Maesa as the family matriarch. Her remains were ultimately placed in Hadrian's Mausoleum, at the insistence of her sister. She was deified, and was known as "Diva Iulia Domna" or "Diva Iulia Augusta".
The reverse of this coin features the Goddess Vesta, and bears the legend "VESTAE SANCTAE". The legend, "VESTAE SANCTAE" translates into "Sacred Vesta". "VESTAE" obviously is Latin for "Vesta". "SANCTAE" is used in the sense of an inner sanctum, or the sanctum of a church, a sacred place. The Romans borrowed Vesta from the Greeks, where she was known as Hestia. Vesta was the goddess of the family hearth and of fire, and was worshipped as the protectress of family life. Aside from simply "Vesta", she was often depicted with the title Mater ("Mother"), or Sanctae ("Sacred"). She is a common theme for the reverse of Roman coinage, and is generally portrayed enrobed, veiled, holding a patera (a broad, flat, round dish used for drinking and ceremonially, for offering libations) and scepter or "hasta pura". She is often depicted seated in a curule throne, often within her temple.
A "hasta pura", a ceremonial lance (spear, pike) without an iron head, oftentimes with a knob at the end, the forerunner of the standard pilum issued to Roman soldiers. The hasta was derived by the Roman from the Etrurians, who called it a "corim". By the Sabines it was called a "quiris", their king called "coritos" as the spear was to them an attribute of royalty. The Hasta was the symbol not only of power, fortitude and valor, but also of majesty and even divinity. It is one of the insignia of the Gods, and of the Emperors and Augustae after their apotheosis, implying that they had become objects of worship. It is generally found in the hands of female divinities, as the war-spear is in those of warriors and heroes. Its name literally means "blameless spear", and it was sometimes awarded ceremoniously to soldiers who had saved another's life.
In the Roman Republic, and later the Empire, the curule chair (or throne) was the chair upon which senior magistrates or promagistrates were entitled to sit, including dictators, masters of the horse, consuls, praetors, priests of Jupiter, and the curule aediles. In the latter Republic, Caesar the Dictator was entitled to sit upon a curule chair made of gold. The curule chair was traditionally made of ivory; with curved legs forming a wide X; it had no back, and low arms. The chair could be folded, and thus made easily transportable for magisterial and promagesterial commanders in the field. According to the (ancient) Roman Historian Livy the curule chair originated with the Etruscans, though there is evidence that before then it might have originated with Near East potentates.
On occasion, in place of the patera, Vesta may be depicted holding a torch, a chalice (ceremonial goblet), a simpulum (a ladle for pouring wine, one of the ceremonial implements used by Roman priests), or a palladium (a statue of Pallas-Athena-Minerva reputedly stolen from Troy and subsequently brought to Italy by Aeneas. It was held in great reverence by the Romans who, because of its renowned protective powers, regarded it as the guardian of their city). The statue, three cubits in height, held a lance in the right hand, a shield on the left arm. Dionysius of Halicarnassus recorded that it was the gift of heaven to the Trojans. In Roman accounts the palladium was preserved in the Temple of Vesta, at Rome. It was also recorded that at the burning of the temple of Vesta (during the great fire of Rome), that the Palladium was rescued unharmed from out of the midst of the conflagration.
Vesta, like her Greek counterpart "Hestia", was the goddess of the hearth and of fire. Besides her special cult on the hearth of every home, she was also worshipped by the state. Roman Consuls and Emperors, upon taking up their oath, sacrificed at the Temple of Vesta at Lavinium. Nearby the temple was the Atrium of Vesta, the abode of the virgin priestesses of the goddess, the "Vestals". The primary duty of the six Vestal Virgins at the "Alba Longa" was to tend the eternal fire, which each did in turn. Prestige and a comfortable retirement were their rewards. Loss of chastity usually merited fatal consequences.
The Goddess Vesta was supposed to personify the Earth, and consequently her temple was built round, in which a fire was continually kept burning by the Vestal Virgins. Vesta's festival, the Vestalia, occurred on July 9th of each year. A procession of barefooted matrons paraded to the temple to implore the blessing of the goddess for their households. The worship of Vesta survived until the last years of paganism, until abolished by Emperor Gratian in 382 A.D. If you'd like to know more, there's some wonderful ancient Greco-Roman depictions of Vesta (as well as a little more background information) here, here, here, here, and here.
Your purchase includes, upon request, mounting of this coin in either pendant style "a" or "b" as shown here. Pendant style "a" is a clear, airtight acrylic capsule designed to afford your ancient coin maximum protection from both impact damage and degradation. It is the most "politically correct" mounting. Style "b" is a bezel wrap mount in either sterling silver or 14kt gold fill. Both pendant styles include a split ring for mounting your pendant onto a silver tone or gold tone chain, also included in the cost of your purchase. Upon request, there are also an almost infinite variety of other pendants which might well suit both you and your ancient coin pendant, and include both sterling silver and solid 14kt gold mountings, including those shown here. As well, upon request, we can also make available a huge variety of chains in lengths from 16 to 30 inches, in metals including sterling silver, 14kt gold fill, and solid 14kt gold. Please note, you must request and specify how you wish your coin mounted, as absent specific instructions to the contrary, the default shipment method is the unmounted coin.
HISTORY: Coins came into being during the seventh century B.C. in Lydia and Ionia, part of the Greek world, and were made from a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. Each coin blank was heated and struck with a hammer between two engraved dies. Unlike modern coins, they were not uniformly round. Each coin was wonderfully unique. Coinage quickly spread to the island and city states of Western Greece. Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.) then spread the concept of coinage throughout the lands he conquered. Ancient coins are archaeological treasures from the past. They were buried for safekeeping because of their value and have been slowly uncovered throughout modern history. Oftentimes soldiers the night before battle would bury their coins and jewelry, hoping and believing that they would live long enough to recover them, and to return to their family. Killed in battle, these little treasure hoards remain until today scattered throughout Western and Eastern Europe, even into the Levant and Persia.
As well, everyone from merchants to housewives found the safest place to keep their savings was buried in a pot, or in some other secretive location. If they met an unexpected end, the whereabouts of the merchants trade goods or the household's sugar jar money might never be known. Recently a commercial excavation for a new building foundation in London unearthed a Roman mosaic floor. When archaeologists removed the floor, they found 7,000 silver denarii secreted beneath the floor. Even the Roman mints buried their produce. There were over 300 mints in the Roman Empire striking coinage. Hoards of as many as 40,000 coins have been found in a single location near these ancient sites. Ancient coins reflect the artistic, political, religious, and economic themes of their times. The acquisition of ancient coins is a unique opportunity to collect art which has been appreciated throughout the centuries.
Coins of the Roman Empire most frequently depicted the Emperor on the front of the coins, and were issued in gold, silver, and bronze. The imperial family was also frequently depicted on the coinage, and, in some cases, coins depicted the progression of an emperor from boyhood through maturity. The reverse side of often served as an important means of political propaganda, frequently extolling the virtues of the emperor or commemorating his victories. Many public works and architectural achievements such as the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus were also depicted. Important political events such as alliances between cities were recorded on coinage. Many usurpers to the throne, otherwise unrecorded in history, are known only through their coins. Interestingly, a visually stunning portrayal of the decline of the Roman Empire is reflected in her coinage. The early Roman bronze coins were the size of a half-dollar. Within 100-150 years those had shrunk to the size of a nickel. And within another 100-150 years, to perhaps half the size of a dime.
One of the greatest civilizations of recorded history was the ancient Roman Empire. In exchange for a very modest amount of contemporary currency, you can possess a small part of that great civilization in the form of a 2,000 year old piece of jewelry. The Roman civilization, in relative terms the greatest military power in the history of the world, was founded in the 8th century (B.C.). In the 4th Century (B.C.) the Romans were the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula, having defeated the Etruscans and Celts. In the 3rd Century (B.C.) the Romans conquered Sicily, and in the following century defeated Carthage, and controlled the Greece. Throughout the remainder of the 2nd Century (B.C.) the Roman Empire continued its gradual conquest of the Hellenistic (Greek Colonial) World by conquering Syria and Macedonia; and finally came to control Egypt in the 1st Century (B.C.).
The pinnacle of Roman power was achieved in the 1st Century (A.D.) as Rome conquered much of Britain and Western Europe. For a brief time, the era of "Pax Romana", a time of peace and consolidation reigned. Civilian emperors were the rule, and the culture flourished with a great deal of liberty enjoyed by the average Roman Citizen. However within 200 years the Roman Empire was in a state of steady decay, attacked by Germans, Goths, and Persians. In the 4th Century (A.D.) the Roman Empire was split between East and West. The Great Emperor Constantine temporarily arrested the decay of the Empire, but within a hundred years after his death the Persians captured Mesopotamia, Vandals infiltrated Gaul and Spain, and the Goths even sacked Rome itself. Most historians date the end of the Western Roman Empire to 476 (A.D.) when Emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed. However the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire) survived until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D.
At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the West, throughout most of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, and into Asia Minor. Valuables such as coins and jewelry were commonly buried for safekeeping, and inevitably these ancient citizens would succumb to one of the many perils of the ancient world. Oftentimes the survivors of these individuals did not know where the valuables had been buried, and today, two thousand years later caches of coins and rings are still commonly uncovered throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Roman Soldiers oftentimes came to possess large quantities of "booty" from their plunderous conquests, and routinely buried their treasure for safekeeping before they went into battle. If they met their end in battle, most often the whereabouts of their treasure was likewise, unknown. Throughout history these treasures have been inadvertently discovered by farmers in their fields, uncovered by erosion, and the target of unsystematic searches by treasure seekers. With the introduction of metal detectors and other modern technologies to Eastern Europe in the past three or four decades, an amazing number of new finds are seeing the light of day 2,000 years or more after they were originally hidden by their past owners. And with the liberalization of post-Soviet Eastern Europe, new markets have opened eager to share in these treasures of the Roman Empire.
These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. Proceeds of the sales benefit the Southern Urals State Student Association for Archaeological and Anthropological Studies in Russia; providing both postgraduate and undergraduate students with meaningful part-time employment, notebook computers, and both reference and study materials. It also supports other institutions and organizations within Russia involved in the study of anthropology and archaeology. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price.
SHIPPING: These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request.
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