Septimius Severus, Roman Emperor, 193 to 211 A.D.
Severus moved up through the army’s ranks as a soldier in the armies of Aurelius and Commodus. He seized power as the fifth Emperor in “The Year of Five Emperors”. He was succeeded by his sons, Caracalla and Geta. His family founded the Severan Dynasty, the last dynasty of the empire before the "Crisis of the Third Century". Severus completed two successful military campaigns against Parthia and in Britain. In light of this, and his extensive building projects, he is remembered as one of Rome's great emperors.
These coins are
known as "provincial" coins because they were minted by one of the
Roman Emperors within one of the Roman Provinces generally using Greek
nomenclature. There were a huge number of these coins minted mostly in the second
and third centuries. Although the
obverse of these coins usually bore a portrait of the imperial family, the
reverse displayed a local symbol or message, often representing a monument, a
cult, or a myth important to the issuing city, or a name of the issuing city
itself. Such coins are sometimes our
only surviving evidence for the appearance of monuments, buildings, cults, or
even the cities themselves, and can provide information not known form other
sources.
This coin depicts an eagle on the reverse (probably minted in Antioch or Nikopolis). It is 17 mm and 3.17 gm.
Roman Eagle
The eagle symbolized the might of the Roman Empire. It was used as their national symbol because it was a symbol of the strength and courage associated with their Big Kahuna god, Jupiter. It was commonly used on the Roman army standards called aquilae. Roman mythology also ascribed to the belief that an eagle carried the soul of the Emperor to heaven during the ceremony of apotheosis. This ceremony occurred after the death of the Emperor when his body was burned on a giant funeral pyre during which an eagle was released to allow his soul to reach the gods in the sky. From that time on, he could be worshipped with the other Roman gods.
As usual, the picture really doesn't do justice. Let me know if you have questions.
I have collected Roman coins for
many years and have always bought coins from trusted, reputable dealers. The
coins I sell are ancient currency minted under the authority of the Roman
Empire. The details I describe (emperor, location, legends, etc) are
derived from well-known and certified attribution sources. The
descriptions are guaranteed accurate as much as the condition of the coin
allows. This Guarantee of Authenticity does not make any claim or estimate
of the value or grades of the coin(s).
I will send each coin that I have
attributed in a 2X2 coin holder on which is written all important identifiable
legends and features.
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IN ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION FOR A REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE.
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