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Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ Medallion (41mm, 59.51 g, 1h). Rome mint. Struck AD 194. L • SEPTIMIVS • SEVERVS PERTINAX • AVG IMP IIII, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / [P] M TR P III [COS] II P P, FIDEI • MILIT in exergue, Septimius Severus standing left on däis, right hand raised in salute and holding scepter with left; behind him, Caracalla and Geta, both in military attire, standing left; before, six soldiers standing right, the front row holding shields, the back row holding two signa and a vexillum. Gnecchi II, 16 (pl. 94, 7); Banti 51; Cohen 152; Grueber 3; Froehner p. 153. Attractive dark green and brown patina, some minor roughness. Good VF. Extremely rare and impressive.
Ex Triton XX (10 January 2017), lot 786; Gorny & Mosch 232 (5 October 2015), lot 456.
Although Septimius Severus is often described as first of the “soldier emperors,” his early career was almost entirely civilian, rising steadily through the ladder of Roman magistracies, much like his predecessors. Nevertheless, his reign proved a major step in militarizing Roman government and life. He entered the Senate in AD 173 and gained some early military experience as legionary officer in Africa and Syria, where he served under the later Emperor Pertinax. After reaching the Consulship in AD 190, he was appointed as governor of Pannonia Superior, which placed him in command of Legio XIV Gemina Martia Victrix, strategically located within easy march of Italy and Rome. With the assassination of Commodus in AD 193, followed within weeks by the murder of his mentor Pertinax, Severus was hailed as emperor by the XIVth at Carnuntum. A lightning march to Rome deposed the pathetic Didius Julianus and placed Severus in firm control of the capital, whereupon he immediately prepared for civil war against two rivals who had likewise been proclaimed in the provinces, Clodius Albinus and Pescinnius Niger. Though wealthy and connected, Severus was from a “new” family and relied heavily on the army to cement his power. He raised military pay and showed his troops many preferments, including ending the longtime ban on marriage for regular soldiers. The army began to think of him as one of their own and, after disposing of Niger and Albinus, he suffered no revolts or serious internal threats for the rest of his reign. This remarkable bronze medallion, struck in AD 194 for presentation to a senior officer, depicts Severus being hailed as Imperator (victorious general) by his soldiers. Behind him stand his sons, Caracalla and Geta, whom he told on his deathbed, “get along with one another, enrich the soldiers, and despise everyone else!”
The final winners of all Triton XXVI lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 10-11 January 2023.
Triton XXVI – Session Three – Lots 674-990 will be held Wednesday morning, 11 January 2023 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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