Obverse: SEVERVS PIVS AVG; Laureate Bust of the
Emperor Facing Right
Reverse: PM TR P XVII COS III PP; Salus Seated to
the Left, Feeding a Snake in her Lap
Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus was born April
11, 145 A.D. in Leptis Magna, a Carthaginian city
located in North Africa. Severus came from a
distinguished local family; his cousins received
suffect consulships in Rome under Antoninus
Pius. Severus restored stability to the Roman
Empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor
Commodus and the outbreaks of civil war that
erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder.
However, by giving greater pay and benefits to
soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of
northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire,
Septimius Severus brought increasing financial
and military burdens to Rome's government.
Although his prudent administration allowed
these burdens to be met during his eighteen
years on the throne, his reign was not entirely
sunny. Overall, his reign marks a critical stage in
the development of the absolute despotism that
characterized the later Roman Empire.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a memorial
to the Emperor Septimius Severus, passed from
the hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation that still appears as
vibrant today as the day it was struck.
- (C.5847)
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