Sestertius of Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome from Rome Mint: Rome
Honorand: Julia Domna, Empress of Rome, A.D. 160–217
Ruler: Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome, A.D. 146–211, ruled 193–211

209–11

Numismatics

By appointment, Pratt Study Room


Julia Domna hailed from Emisa in Syria, and was the wife of Septimius Severus, himself a North African. She was the mother of the emperors Caracalla (A.D. 186–217, ruled jointly from 197 and solely from 211) and Geta (A.D. 189–211, ruled jointly from 209). Geta’s dates help establish the chronology of the coin, for the lavishing of the title Mother of the Augusti can only apply from 209–11; earlier, she had been styled Mother of the Senate and Mother of the Fatherland, both titles never before used.

Medium

Orichalcum

Dimensions

24.06 g, 12:00, 32.7 mm

Credit Line

Ruth Elizabeth White Fund with the assistance of Ben Lee Damsky

Accession Number

2007.183.82

Geography

Made in Rome, Italy

Culture

Roman

Period

3rd century

Classification

Numismatics

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Numismatics

Obverse Description

Obverse Description: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG Draped bust of Julia Domna, right.

Reverse Description

Reverse Description: MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR; SC in exergue. Julia, in the guise of Pax, seated left on ornamented throne holding olive branch and transverse scepter
Provenance
NFA, Los Angeles, November 29, 1984, cat. 14, lot 479. Credit Suisse, Zurich, April 27–9, 1987, cat. 7, lot 906; Ben Lee Damsky, 1987–2007; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Lisa R. Brody and Gail Hoffman, eds., Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire (Chestnut Hill, Mass.: McMullen Museum of Art, 2014), 284, plate 86
  • "Acquisitions, July 1, 2007–June 30, 2008," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2008), 192
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

coins, money, sestertii

Technical metadata and APIs

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