The Roman Empire
Domitian


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC MS* Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

Julia Mamaea (ca. 180 - 235 AD) was the niece of Emperor Septimus Severus and Empress Julia Domna. After the death of her cousin Caracalla, she helped convince her nephew (the newly proclaimed Emperor Elagabalus) to adopt her son Alexander Severus as heir. Julia was declared Empress in 222 AD upon Emperor Elagabalus’s murder, as regent for her 13-year-old son. Julia was extremely attentive to her son’s raising and grooming; in turn, he followed her advice faithfully and esteemed her, naming her consors imperii (partner in rule). Therefore, coins were minted depicting Julia as Augustus. This denarius, minted in Rome in 232 AD is an example, and the mother-son relationship is further illustrated on the verso, wherein Fecunditas, Goddess of fertility, stretches out her hand to a small boy. This particular denarius was minted in Rome in 232 AD, after Alexander and Julia decided to revalue the denarius yet again, increasing the silver purity from 45% to 50.5%, and increasing the actual silver weight from 1.46 g to 1.50 g. Julia guarded her Empress' powers jealously. When Alexander, at the age of sixteen, married Barbia Orbiana, his father-in-law sought to make himself co-regent. A power struggle ensued. In the end, Barbia was banished to Africa and her father executed. Julia accompanied her son on various campaigns, following the custom started by her aunt Julia Domna. Over time, she and her son because increasingly unpopular as the troop's perception spread that Alexander was a weak ruler, dominated completely by his mother. In 235 AD, mother and son joined their troops engaged with the Germanic tribes. Julia advised Alexander to bribe the barbarians for peace and mobilize the troops eastward. The latter, mostly local recruits, did not want to leave. This was the last straw and Julia and her son, who was clinging to her, were killed in their tent, by their own discontented troops, thus ending the Severan dynasty. Coin details: Roman Empire, Julia Mamaea (222-235 AD), AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 232 AD, NGC Grade: MS*, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Diademed and draped bust bust right, IVLIA MAMAEA AVG, Reverse: Fecunditas standing left, holding cornucopiae and stretching out right hand to boy standing right, FECVND AVGVSTA, References: RIC IV 331 (Alexander); BMCRE 917-9 (Alexander); RSC 5.

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