DETAIL: This is a very handsome silver antoninianus produced in the city of Rome itself sometime during the year 225 A.D. It is in exceptionally good condition, only very light wear from circulation in ancient Rome, the legends and themes very clear and distinct. It was well struck both front and back. As one can see, the strike was a little off-center; however it was on a very generously-sized flan considerably larger than what was typical for the era. Consequentially and unlike most coins of the era, the strike caught the entirely of both the legends and the themes, and this is applicable to both the obverse as well as the reverse. It is without a doubt an exceptional and superior strike. The obverse of the coin depicts the head of Roman Emperor Severus Alexander, depicted draped and with laureate crown; and the legend "IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND ". "M AVR SEV ALEXAND" of course refers to the Emperor's full name, Marcus Aurelis Severus Alexander. The "M" is obviously the initial for "Marcus". "AVR" is short for "Aurelian"; "V" as there is no "U" in Roman Latin. "SEV" is short for "Severus", and these abbreviations are followed by "ALEXAND", short for "Alexander".
The "IMP" preface to his name is an abbreviation for "Imperator". Imperator was originally a title or acclamation awarded to victorious generals in the field during the Republic Period (before Julius Caesar). Throughout the history of Republican Rome, the title was bestowed upon an especially able general who had won an enormous victory. Traditionally it was the troops in the field that proclaimed a man imperator - the first step in the process of the general applying to the senate for a triumph (a ceremony both civil and religious held in Rome itself to publicly honor the general and to display/parade the glories and trophies of Roman victory).
Imperatrix was the title of the wife an Imperator. After Augustus Octavian (Julius Caesar's successor) had established the hereditary, one-man rule in Rome that we refer to as the Imperial Roman Empire, the title Imperator was restricted to the emperor and members of his immediate family. If a general who was not part of the imperial family was acclaimed by his troops as Imperator, it was tantamount to a declaration of rebellion or civil war against the ruling emperor. Though the title Augustus is probably the closest Latin equivalent to the English word emperor; it was eventually the term Imperator which became the root of the English word "Imperial".
The "C" preceding his name (and following "IMP") refers to the title "Caesar", which was a title of imperial character used by either the Emperor or the heir apparent of the Emperor - though in the fragmenting later Roman Empire it was used to refer to the "junior" sub-emperors; inferior to "Augustus", or the "senior" Emperor. The title's origin was the name of Julius Caesar, the famous Roman General and Dictator. This came about when Octavius, eventually the first Emperor of Rome, was named by Julius Caesar posthumously (in his will) as his heir and adopted son. Octavius adopted the name "Caesar" in order to emphasize his relationship with his Uncle, Julius Caesar.
Eventually the term evolved into part of a title, "Imperator Caesar Augustus", when Octavious adopted his nephew Tiberius Claudius Nero as his successor, renaming him "Tiberius Iulius Caesar". The precedent was set: the Emperor designated his successor by adopting him and giving him the name "Caesar". The title was occasionally accompanied by that of "Princeps Iuventutis" (literally "Prince of Youth"). After some variation among the earliest Emperors, the title of the heir apparent evolved into NN Caesar before accession and Imperator Caesar NN Augustus after accession. A later evolution expanded the title to "NN Nobilissimus Caesar" ("Most Noble Caesar") rather than simply NN Caesar. Ultimately to this the additional titles "Pius Felix" ("the Pious and Blessed") and "Invictus" ("the Unconquered") were added.
The suffix "AVG" was an abbreviation for Augustus. The term "Augustus" is 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. 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 useage 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.
The obverse of the coin portrays Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. He was born Gessius Bassianus Alexianus in 208 A.D. in Phoenicia, and was the son of Julia Mamaea and Gessius Marcianus. Like his cousin Emperor Elagabalus, he was a hereditary Priest of Baal, though he was not the religious fanatic Elegabalus was. In 221 A.D. he was adopted by Emperor Elagabalus, his cousin, and given the title of Caesar, as part of behind-the-throne manipulations by his grandmother, the Empress Julia Maesa. Grandmother Julia Maesa even went so far as to deliberately start rumors that he was the illegitimate offspring of the Emperor Caracalla. Caracalla had been popular with the army; but more importantly he was the direct offspring of the beloved and deified Emperor Septimius Severus. Thus even as an (alleged) illegitimate grandson, Severus Alexander still gained stature.
After Emperor Elagabalus burned through a succession of four quick marriages (all less than a year's duration), and had demonstrated a proclivity toward cruelty and religious fanaticism, it became clear to Julia Elagabalus (also one of her grandsons) was not going to be the person to restore the Severan Dynasty (as in Septimius Severus 193-211 AD) to its former glory. Julia Maesa arranged for Severus Alexander to be adopted by Elegabalus and named Caesar, and then with Severus's Mother (Julia Mamaea) arranged to have Elagabalus and his mother (Julia Maesa's own daughter) murdered by the Praetorian Guard a year later. Severus Alexander was proclaimed Emperor by the same Praetorian Guard. Despite the bloody route to the throne, and his young age (12 1/2 when he assumed the throne - the youngest Emperor in Rome's history), Alexander ruled the empire wisely, and the condition of the empire improved. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, died shortly after his ascension. However Alexander's strict mother held considerable influence over the Emperor. As had "grandmother" been before her, Severus's mother was the real power behind the throne, and this led to resentment within the command structure of the army.
The first nine years of Alexander's reign was untroubled by foreign conflict. But in 232 A.D. Alexander had to take the field against the Sassanians who had recently taken by conquest Parthia, and were threatening Syria and Cappadocia. The campaign against the Sassanians met with only limited success, a stalemate, and disturbances on the German frontier soon necessitated Alexander's presence there. The German's had taken advantage of the redeployment of Roman troops to the East, and Severus's Generals planned a grand campaign in retribution. However Severus Alexander preferred to negotiate for peace by buying off the enemy. This policy outraged the soldiers, and a group of mutinous Pannonian soldiers proclaimed Maximinus, one of their commanders, Emperor. Severus Alexander and his mother Julia were murdered at their camp near Mainz on March 22, 235 A.D., much as Alexander's predecessor, Elagabalus and his mother had been murdered fourteen years prior. And thus ended the Severan Dynasty of Imperial Rome.
The emperor is depicted "laureate", or wearing a wreath or crown composed of laurel, or "bay leaves". This wreath of laurel leaves is an attribute of the Graeco-Roman God Apollo, and is a symbol of victory. In Greek Mythology, Apollo fell in love with the legendary mountain nymph Daphene. Daphene, anxious to escape Apollo's amorous interests, asked the Gods of Olympus to change her into a bay tree. Thereafter Apollo always wore a laurel wreath made from the leaves of her sacred tree to show is never failing love for her. Apollo also declared that wreaths were to be awarded to victors, both in athletic competitions and poetic meets under his care.
Laurel wreaths became the prize awarded in athletic, musical, and poetic competitions. For instance by the 6th century B.C., the winners of the ancient Greek Pythian Games (forerunner of the Olympics and held every four years at Delphi) were awarded a wreath of laurel leaves. Ancient Greek coins from at least as far back as the second century B.C. depict laurel wreaths worn by not only Apollo, but also Athena, Saturn, Jupiter, Victory (Nike), and Salus. Eventually the custom of awarding a wreath of laurel leaves was extended from victors of athletic events to the victors of military endeavors. The symbolism was inherited (or mimicked) by the Romans, to whom the bestowal of a laurel wreath became the sign of a victorious general acclaimed by his troops.
After defeating Pompey, the Roman Senate not only voted Julius Caesar Imperator for life, but also awarded him the right to wear the laurel wreath in perpetuity. From that point on it is said that Julius Caesar always appeared in public laureate, and all of his coinage depicted Julius Caesar wearing the laurel leaf crown. Thus the laurel leaf crown became associated not only with the victorious general, but became a symbol of the office of Caesar and Imperator. There were other types of wreaths in Graeco-Roman Mythology as well. Dionysus was oftentimes depicted either with a wreath of ivy or with a wreath composed of grape leaves. Zeus was oftentimes depicted with a wreath of oak leaves, and wreathes of roses became associated with Aphrodite. As well, funeral wreaths became a Roman custom, and were often carved into the decorative elements of a sarcophagus.
The reverse legend on this specimen is "P M TR P III COS PP", and despite the fact that the Goddess Salus is depicted, the legend has nothing to do with the goddess. Rather it continues the recitation of titles and acclamations from the obverse side of the coin "P M" is an abbreviation for "Pontifex Maximus". As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of as "Pontifex Maximus", literally "greatest bridgemaker", the significance being that he was the chief priest of the Roman state religion. From 382 A.D. onwards this title has been held by the Pope in Rome. Prior to Octavious Augustus Julius Caesar (in the Roman Republic) the Pontifex Maximus was the head of the pagan Roman Religion, the most important of the priests (pontifices) of the sacred college (Collegium Pontificum). However with the establishment of Empire, Julius Caesar, then Octavius Augustus, and then each Roman Emperor afterwards held the title Pontifex Maximus himself, as the Roman Emperor became deified, i.e., a living god and the apex of the Roman religion.
The reverse legend continues, "TR P III", an abbreviation for Tribunicia Potestas (the "III" indicates the third term). As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of Tribunicia Potestas, literally "tribunician power". As such the Emperor he had personal inviolability (sacrosanctitas) and the right to veto any act or proposal by any magistrate within Rome, the authority to convene the Senate, and the right to exercise capital punishment in the course of the performance of his duties. Of course constitutionally Tribunes were meant to represent the common man, the plebians. Since it was legally impossible for a patrician to be a tribune of the people, the first Roman "Emperor", Caesar Augustus, was instead offered of the powers of the tribunate without actually holding the office. This formed one of the main constitutional basis of Augustus' authority, and the power was generally "renewed" annually by successive Emperors.
The abbreviation "COS" is an abbreviation indicating (the first) term as Consul. As Augustus, an acclamation or title oftentimes attributed to the Emperor was that of Consul. As Consular Imperium (Imperial Consul) he had authority equal to the official chief magistrates within Rome. He had authority greater than the chief magistrates outside of the city of Rome, and thus outranked all provincial governors and was also supreme commander of all Roman Legions. Originally "Consul" was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic (ultimately it was an appointed office under the Empire). Under the Republic two consuls (with executive power) were elected each year, serving together with veto power over each other's actions.
The office of consul was believed to date back to the traditional establishment of the Republic in 509 B.C. Consuls executed both religious and military duties. During times of war, the primary criterion for consul was military skill and reputation, but at all times the selection was politically charged. Initially only patricians could be consuls, but later the plebeians won the right to stand for election. With the passage of time, the consulship became the penultimate endpoint of the sequence of offices pursued by the ambitious Roman. When Octavius Augustus, heir to Julius Caesar, established the Empire; he changed the nature of the office, stripping it of most of its powers. While still a great honor and a requirement for other offices, about half of the men who held the rank of Praetor would also reach the consulship.
However under the Empire, Emperors frequently appointed themselves, prot‚g‚s, or relatives without regard to the requirements of office. For example, the Emperor Honorius was given the consulship at birth. One of the reforms of Constantine the Great was to assign one of the consuls to the city of Rome and the other to Constantinople. When the Roman Empire was divided into two halves on the death of Theodosius I, the emperor of each half acquired the right of appointing one of the consuls. As a result, after the formal end of the Roman Empire in the West, for many years thereafter there would be only one Consul of Rome. Finally in the reign of Justinian the consulship was allowed die; first in Rome in 534 A.D.; then in Constantinople in 541 A.D.
Finally the legend ends with the abbreviation "PP". "PP" stands for "Pater Patriae", literally "father of the country", also sometimes seen as "Parens Patriae", meaning "Father of the Fatherland". It does not imply a great role in the foundation of the state (such as "George Washington Father of America") so much as a great contribution to the preservation and integrity of the state. Like all official honorific titles of the Roman Republic, the honor of being called pater patriae was conferred by the Roman Senate. It was first awarded to the great orator Marcus Tullius Cicero for his part in the suppression of the Catilinarian conspiracy during his consulate in 63 BC. It was next awarded to Julius Caesar, who as dictator was sole master of the Roman world.
The Senate voted the title to Caesar Augustus in 2 BC, but it did not become an "automatic" part of the "bundle" of the Imperial powers and honours (Imperator, Caesar, Augustus, Princeps Senatus, Pontifex Maximus, tribunicia potestas); The Senate eventually conferred the title on many Roman Emperors, often only after many years of rule (unless the new Emperor were particularly esteemed by the senators, as in the case of Nerva); as a result, many of the short-lived Emperors never received the title. In the case of Severus Alexander, the Senate rather incongruously awarded the title as soon as he ascended the throne at age 12 1/2.
Now that we've explored the significance of the legend the reverse side iof the coin bears, let's return to the significance of the depiction. The reverse side of the coin features the Roman Goddess Salus, the Goddess of Health and Sanitation, as well as Safety and Welfare (public well-being) and Prosperity. Her Greek counterpart was the Goddess Hygenia, who in myth was the offspring of Aesculapius (Greek God of Healing and Medicine, Son of Apollo) and of Minerva (The Greek Goddess Athena, Goddess of War). While her father was more directly associated with healing, she was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health. In Roman coinage Salus is generally depicted as a matronly woman wearing a stola. The stola was a sleeveless outer garment worn by mature women over the tunic (or chemise).
Salus can be depicted standing, sitting, or in a reclining position, but generally she is depicted with a serpent either on her right or her left arm, and a scepter in the opposite hand. The serpent is depicted in a quiescent state, usually rising in folds or entwined round an altar before her, and eating food from a patera, which Salus holds in her extended hand. A "patera" was a broad, flat, round dish used for drinking (wine more often than not) and ceremonially for offering libations. Occasionally Salus would be depicted holding a rudder or anchor rather than a scepter - alluding to the role that imported corn (from Egypt and Africa) played in the "welfare" and "well-being" of Rome. This typical rendering of Salus was doubtless how she was depicted as well in most statuary.
In this instance Salus is depicted seated on a curule throne. 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.
Salus had a celebrated temple at Rome on the Quirinal Hill painted, it was said, by Q. Fabius. Most of Salus's cult centers were to be found in Rome and central Italy. In the Hellenic world her primary temples were in Epidaurus, Corinth, Cos and Pergamon. She was also worshipped as the guardian goddess of the emperor. Special civic ceremonies and prayers were oftentimes conducted at the beginning of each year, at times of epidemic or widespread sickness, and on the emperor's birthday. On very prominent variant of Salus used in Roman coinage was that of "Salus Reipublicae", the health or safety of the Roman Commonwealth. In any event, even without a legend pertaining directly to Salus, nonetheless the portraiture of the Goddess Salus along with the emperor's titles of office are nonetheless intended to, and would have undoubtedly conveyed a very powerful propaganda message. That message was to praise and single out for commemoration emperor's own "Salus like" virtues, i.e., his concern for the public health and welfare.
Your purchase includes, upon request, mounting of this coin in either pendant style "a" or "d" 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 "d" is a sterling silver pendant. Either pendant styles include a sterling silver chain (16", 18", or 20"). 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.
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.
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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