Born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus in 204AD, better known by his nicknames Elagabalus and Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short reign was notorious for sex scandals and religious controversy. A close relative to the Severan dynasty, he came from a prominent Arab family in Emesa (Homs), Syria, where since his early youth he served as head priest of the sun god Elagabal. After the death of his cousin, the emperor Caracalla, Elagabalus was raised to the principate at 14 years of age in an army revolt instigated by his grandmother Julia Maesa against Caracalla's short-lived successor, Macrinus. He only posthumously became known by the Latinised name of his god. Later historians suggest Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. He replaced the traditional head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter, with the deity Elagabal, of whom he had been high priest. He forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, presiding over them in person. He married four women, including a Vestal Virgin, in addition to lavishing favours on male courtiers thought to have been his lovers. He was also reported to have prostituted himself. His behavior estranged the Praetorian Guard, the Senate and the common people alike. Amidst growing opposition, at just 18 years of age he was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander in March 222. The assassination plot against Elagabalus was devised by Julia Maesa and carried out by disaffected members of the Praetorian Guard. Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for extreme eccentricity, decadence, zealotry and sexual promiscuity. This tradition has persisted; among writers of the early modern age he endured one of the worst reputations among Roman emperors. Edward Gibbon, notably, wrote that Elagabalus "abandoned himself to the grossest pleasures with ungoverned fury". According to Barthold Georg Niebuhr, "the name Elagabalus is branded in history above all others" because of his "unspeakably disgusting life". Herodian writes that when the emperor Macrinus came to power, he suppressed the threat to his reign from the family of his assassinated predecessor, Caracalla, by exiling them—Julia Maesa, her two daughters, and her eldest grandson Elagabalus—to their estate at Emesa in Syria. Almost upon arrival in Syria, Maesa began a plot with her advisor and Elagabalus's tutor, Gannys, to overthrow Macrinus and elevate the fourteen-year-old Elagabalus to the imperial throne. Maesa spread a rumor, which Soaemias publicly supported, that Elagabalus was the illegitimate child of Caracalla and so deserved the loyalty of Roman soldiers and senators who had sworn allegiance to Caracalla. The soldiers of the Third Legion Gallica at Raphana, who had enjoyed greater privileges under Caracalla and resented Macrinus (and may have been impressed or bribed by Maesa's wealth), supported this claim. As a tribute to the military for their support, he adopted the same name Caracalla used as Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Elagabalus AR Denarius, Rome 220-222 AD IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate draped bust right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory flying left, open diadem in both hands, shields to both sides, star in right field. RSC 300. RIC 161. BMC 234. 2,8 g - 18,5 mm Please post your coins of Elagabalus or his family.
I had a recent post about this one: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/extremely-rare-elagabalus-denarius.408442/ Extremely rare CAES obverse with PROVID DEORVM, currently only 4 known. Authority: Elagabalus (Augustus 218 – 222 AD) Denomination: AR Denarius Mint: Rome Obverse: IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG – should be IMP ANTONINVS AVG; Laureate, draped bust right Reverse: PROVID DEORVM; Providentia standing left with legs crossed and leaning on column, holding wand over globe and cornucopia References: RIC -; SEAR -; RSC -, OCRE -; unlisted type I haven't really started collecting Elagabalus coins but here are a few in my collection: Authority: Elagabalus Denomination: AR Denarius Mint: Rome (218 - 222 AD) Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS AVG; Laureate, draped bust right Reverse: LIBERTAS AVGVSTI; Libertas seated left holding pileus and scepter References: RIC IV, Part ii, 115; BMCRE, 151; Sear RCV II, 7525 Authority: Elagabalus Denomination: AR Denarius Mint: Rome (220 AD) Obverse: (IM)P ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Laureate, draped bust right Reverse: P M TR P III COS (III P P); Double struck portrait, Sol, radiate, naked except for cloak over left shoulder, standing left, raising right hand and holding whip in left hand; in field to left, star References: RIC IV, Part ii, 28 (b); BMCRE, 179; Sear RCV II, 7533 Authority: Elagabalus Denomination: AR Denarius Mint: Rome (221 AD) Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Laureate, draped bust right Reverse: P M TR P IIII COS III P P, Providentia, draped, standing left, holding wand in right hand over globe set on ground and cornucopiae in left hand; star in left field References: RIC IV, Part ii, 42 (b); BMCRE, 249; Sear RCV II, 7534 Authority: Elagabalus Denomination: AR Denarius Mint: Rome (218 - 222 AD) Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, Laureate, draped bust right Reverse: FIDES MILITVM, Legionary eagle perched between two standards with shield at the foot of each standard References: RIC IV, Part ii, 78; BMCRE, 201; Sear RCV II, 7514
Hi All, ELAGABALUS (8 June 218 - 11 Mar 222 CE) ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT Year 04 (222 CE) Bi Tetradrachm Size: 24 mm Weight: 14.3g Axis: 11:00 Broucheion Collection: R-2015-11-24.001 Obv: Elagabalus Laureate head facing right. Legend: AKAICAPMAAYP - ANTωNINOC - Є[Y]CCЄB. Dotted border. Rev: Serapis wearing modius, bust facing right. In left field: L; In right field: Δ. Dotted border. Refs: Emmett-2952.04; Geissen-2334; Dattari-4139; Milne-2811/2812; Curtis-0984/0985; BMC-1503, pl xiii; Mionnet-2517. Julia Mamea: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coins-you-bought-unattributed.366848/page-2#post-4871791 - Broucheion
Here is mine. Great write up, thanks! Elagabolus AR Denaruis 221AD Obv. IMP ANTONIUS PIVS AVG, laureate draped, cuirassed right Rev. P M TR P IIII COS III PP Emperor left club or cypress branch star over left RIC 46
I wonder why they (Caracalla/ Elagalabus) never used their real name/ instead they called themselves Antoninus which is bland to say the least.
In Rome you can change your name when you access to some form of supreme power. It's what the popes still do. The cardinal Jorge Bergoglio changed his name to pope Francis. The cardinal Karol Wojtyła changed his name to pope John Paul II. Caracalla's name was Lucius Septimius Bassianus. But his father L. Septimius Severus claimed to be the son of Marcus Aurelius and the brother of Commodus. It was possible in Rome, a form of adoption (he did not adopt a son, but a father). Because his son Bassianus was now Marcus Aurelius' grandson, he changed his name to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, like his new "grandfather". But in the Roman army, it was like in modern armies, you could get a satirical nickname from your comrades. Caracalla wanted to be popular among the troops, thus he let them give him the nickname of caracalla, litterally "short cloak", the caraca being the military cloak. He got this nickname because he was a short man. In a modern army he could have been called "XS size". This custom lasted very long. In the middle ages kings or dukes got the same kind of satirical nicknames from their men. In France we had Pepin le Bref (the short), Charles the Bald, Charles the Simple (the dumb), Louis VI the Fat, etc. Dukes of Normandy too : William the Bastard didn't sound well, he conquered England in 1066 so he was now called William the Conqueror, which sounds better. There was also William Longsword (that means he was very short and his sword attached to his belt touched the ground), or Robert Courteheuse (means "short pants") for the same reason. In the early 19th c. the emperor Napoleon was called "le Petit Caporal" (the little corporal) or, when he changed his hairstyle in 1800 and had now short hair, "le petit tondu" (little shaved head). His size was actually average, but he looked short when he was with his grenadiers, selected for their tall size. For Elagabalus it was different. His real name was Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus. He was the son of Caracalla's cousin Julia Soaemias and of her husband Sextus Varius Marcellus. But his grandmother Julia Maesa (Julia Domna's sister) proclaimed the boy was actually Caracalla's son. She changed his name to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, like his pretended father. This guy was not a military man, and he didn't get any military nickname. Because he was the high priest of the Arab god Elagabal, sarcastic historians later called him "Elagabalus" or "Heliogabalus", by derision. But I think nobody during his (short) lifetime ever called him Elagabalus.
