Julia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217. Æ Sestertius (34mm, 28.40 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Caracalla, circa AD 211-215. Good VF.

CNG Feature Auction 132
Lot: 810. Estimated: $ 500

Roman Imperial, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 1 200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Julia Domna. Augusta, AD 193-217. Æ Sestertius (34mm, 28.40 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Caracalla, circa AD 211-215. Draped bust right, wearing stephane / Vesta seated left, holding simpulum and scepter. RIC IV 593 (Caracalla); Banti 52. Brown patina, area of red on reverse. Good VF.

Ex John Wright Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 50 (23 June 1999), lot 1592; Richard Cyril Lockett Collection (Part VIII, Glendining, 26 May 1959), lot 71; Rev. Edward A. Sydenham Collection (Glendining, 10 December 1941), lot 236 (part of).

Julia Domna was of Syrian-Arab ancestry, the daughter of the hereditary high priest of Elagabal at Emesa, a wealthy caravan city in the Syrian desert. Beautiful, cultured, and highly educated, she was made even more of a prize by a horoscope that proclaimed she would marry a king. Septimius Severus probably encountered her family while serving as a general in Syria in the AD 180s. When he learned of the horoscope, the recently widowed Severus, then serving as governor of Gaul in Lugdunum, immediately wrote to Julia’s father and secured her hand in marriage. She gave him two sons, Bassianus (later renamed Antoninus and known to history as Caracalla) in AD 188, and Geta the following year. Upon Severus’ ascension as Roman Emperor in AD 193, Julia was named Augusta and became his closest advisor and confidant. She frequently accompanied Severus and their sons on military campaigns, for which the soldiers granted her the title Mater Castrorum (“mother of the camp”). Her love of art, learning, and philosophy fostered a cultural revival in Rome, with Julia serving as patroness of a diverse salon circle.

Julia Domna’s coinage was more vast and diverse than any previous Roman empress, beginning soon after her acclamation as Augusta in AD 193.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session Three – Lot 588-888 will be held Tuesday morning, 19 May 2026 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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