Julia Domna: Empress, Scholar, Mother to Emperors

I admire the work of Janet Stephens who did these videos. She has the title of "Hairdressing Archaeologist." She is a professional hairdresser who has delved into the world of ancient hairstyles.

This video uses numismatic evidence.

 

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Nice ... atta-boy, lawyer => another OP-winner (congrats)

Julia-D has some very cool coins ...

ummm, but I still only have this one example (wanna see it?) ... again

 

Oh, heck. I'll post a couple more sestertii

 

Interesting to see so many different styles of Domna portraits. Cool thread!

I bought my first Domna last year and very quickly picked up a few more. This one is my favorite.


JULIA DOMNA
AR Denarius. 3.19g, 19.4mm. Rome mint, AD 196-211. RIC 572; RSC 150; BMC 62. O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right. R: PIETAS AVGG, Pietas standing left, veiled, sacrificing on altar to left and holding incense box.

 

I can't help but wonder whether Caracalla brought Domna with him on his final campaign because, (1) he was actually fond of her and the historians were just bashing him or (2) he didn't trust leaving her in Rome!

 

I've been picking up more Julia Domna coins recently. Trying to pick some with interesting reverses. There are several ones on my wish list or should I say lottery winning list.

 

Which ones interest you most? Why? I am fond of the Eastern mint coins using types generally considered more appropriate for male rulers. The Eastern mints did not make this distinction nearly as much as did Rome. I don't have one but there are Domnas with Legionary reverses. My favorite is this VICTOR IVST AVG which some claim to be a mule with reverse proper for Pescennius Niger or Septimius Severus but there are no coins of either of those two using this Victory seated design with the IVST legend. I like them enough to keep a spare. This is another of my irrational collection quirks. If I see another, I might want it, too.

 

There are a few sitting on the top of my list. A Phoenicia type with either an eagle or temple reverse. Another one is with a Temple of Vesta reverse. I'm mainly going by eye appeal and what I feel is a bit of a challenge to get a good deal on. Of course I still like the Cappadocia issues. Don't really have a goal just want to get some interesting ones to add to my collection.

 

I do not know what a Phoenicia type is. The temple reverse as is also on my list. They tend to be expensive and not pretty. There are many spectacular Domna Provincials with that same problem. Best wishes.

 

Thanks. I was googling around and saw this one

It says Tyre, Phoenicia. Not sure if I stated it correctly or not, it may be another region?

 

Super thread and posts!! And I enjoyed the write-up @Sallent !!

Well, I guess I'll just throw in a denarius of Caracalla I recently purchased:


Caracalla, Denarius. 204 AD. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate draped bust right / VICT PART MAX, Victory advancing left holding wreath and palm. RSC 658.

 

Nice coins, everyone. By the way, there are my other Caracalla and my other Seprimius Severus which I left out of my OP post.

The Caracalla is from the last year of his reign, and is the more uncommon version of his Serapis reverse. The S. Severus is one of the last issues from the Laedocian mint.

 

This was a great write-up by @Sallent and so many wonderful coins shown here and since I was thinking about him anyway I thought I'd post my new Julia Domna.



JULIA DOMNA, wife of Severus, (d. 217). AR Denarius. Rome, AD 196-211.
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA - Draped bust right.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICITAS - Isis standing right, left foot on prow, nursing infant Horus held at her breast, rudder resting against altar behind.
19.05mm, 3.37g. Toned aXF
RIC IV 577 (Septimus Severus), RSC 174

 

Beautiful Julia, dadams! Her expression is priceless.

 

Here are my Cast of Characters to toss in:

Septimus Severus:

RI Septimus Severus 193-211 AR Denarius Genius Sacrificing

Geta:

RI Geta AR Denarius 209-211 CE On horse spearing enemy

Caracalla:

RI Caracalla 198-217 AR Denarius MONETA

HEY! And THIS Geta popped up as a REPUBLIC:

RR C Hosidius C F Geta 68 BCE Diana bow quiver Boar Hound spear Sear 346 Craw 407/2

 

You RR fans might do a thread showing all the moneyers names that were later matched by an Emperor.

 

I believe I added these four since this thread first appeared;Caracalla, Julia Domna, Septimius Severus and Geta:

 

Well, here is a fake Julia Domna Geta bronze something-or-other. This was one of my first posts on Coin Talk and I was (gently) let down - I thought I had some super-rare provincial bronze. Nope. Spurious. Phoney. Just wrong. Weighs 8.3 grams. I can't see a seam on the edge. Can't figure out why anybody would bother with something like this. Live and learn...

 

What a GREAT idea!~

 

Last week I cleaned this Julia Domna , removed the mineral deposites on the reverse with magic soup