I can't get enough of the Severan women! Fascinating history, to be sure. Here's an interesting one, issued by her son, Caracalla, after her death. Julia Domna, AD 193-217 Roman AR Denarius, 3.10 g, 20mm Rome, after AD 217 Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right Rev: MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR, Julia seated left, holding olive branch and scepter Refs: RIC 381; BMCRE 12; RSC 111; RCV 7103, Hill 1265; Temeryazev & Makarenko 358. The way the figure of Julia Domna is stylized, i.e. enthroned and holding an olive branch and scepter, assimilates her to the great mother, Cybele, as do her remarkable titles on the reverse ("Mother of the Emperors, Mother of the Senate, Mother of the Fatherland") -- the counterpart on earth of the mother of the gods.[1] This depiction and titulature emphasize the extraordinary political influence enjoyed by Julia Domna in the period following the death of her husband, Septimius Severus.[2] 1. Mattingly, RIC IV, part 1, p. 89 2. Sear, RCV, p. 551 Post anything you deem relevant!
Wow, whatever celator was tasked with creating the dies for your coin clearly had tons of talent. Hands down one of the finest portraits of Julia Domna I've ever seen on a coin, and the reverse is very appealing too. Here is one of hers I haven't posted in a long time. The portrait is definitely not as nice as yours though. Yours has impeccable style.
Yours is from the Laodicea mint; different portrait style from the Roman mint ones you typically see. Here's one of the same design from Rome, which I just purchased from our very own @John Anthony
Where did you get the info that the OP coin was after her death? The IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG coins are traditionally assigned to the time after Septimius died but while Julia lived. There are rare posthumous Domna coins but I do not have one so I'll give a link to CNG: https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.asp...1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1&VIEW_TYPE=0 The MAT AVGG legend would suggest this one was before the murder of Geta. Caracalla would not have tolerated the extra G referring to Geta during his sole reign. Others:
From the coin's description at the seller's website. Your reasons for not accepting this dating are sound and the seller seems to have been misinformed.
Wonderful posts!! My best example of her. AR Denarius of Julia Domna Augusta 194-217 AD., mother of Caracalla and Geta - IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / PIETAS PVBLICA, Pietas standing left, raising both hands; garlanded altar to left (3.68 grams, 20/17 mm) Laodicea ad Mar (Syria) mint 199-207 AD., under Septimius Severus, RIC IV 643 (Severus) RSC 156.
Rome. Guideline: Coins with IVLIA AVGVSTA legend from Laodicea 'new style' usually have a small loop on the neck just above the drapery. This shows clearly on your beautiful Pietas coin. Most IVLIA AVGVSTA coins without the loop are Rome. There are a few exceptions but this will help you learn the styles. There is one Alexandria mint coin with that same obverse legend and you will just have to learn the style to separate the Venus Felix coins. The eye is the tip off. Worry about that question when you get one. The mint called 'Emesa' (probably a travelling mint with the court) very rarely has that legend so that is another one to worry about much, much later. I have only one. They may be barbarous???
Thank you so much, Doug. I appreciate the help. Since I've been on CT I've really found your posts on the Severus/Domna issues from different mints to be quite interesting. I'm sure you've heard this before, but you outta write a book.
I must confess to having been surprised to see the OP coin, since I retrieved it from the Post Office just today having purchased it this past week. The OP pic is from the seller. Here is my own photo (I like the writeup Roman Collector gave it): I bought it to go along with this one which has the same reverse inscription, but a different reverse type. Rome, after AD 217 Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right Rev: MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR, Julia wearing stephane, standing facing left, extending olive branch in right hand; holding scepter in left. This coin is referenced in BMCRE V as #11, while the coin above is #12. Mattingly places these two coins in the section for the sole reign of Caracalla (212-218), but lists them along with all the late issues (PIA FELIX) for Domna after the death of Septimius, from 211- 217. I am sure that is what confused the seller into thinking they are from the period when Geta was out of the picture. As Doug has pointed out, the use of the plural AVGG must date them to the one year that Geta survived his father, i.e. 211 A.D., which does not have a separate catalog section. RIC references the second coin as C380 (for coins from the mint at Rome after the death of Septimius). RSC/Cohen calls it 114 I do not have access to Hill and am not familiar with the last reference RC gave above. Can we get him to give up those numbers for the second coin and some info on the T&M reference itself?
Nice on @Roman Collector ! I am glad ALL your energies are in the Severans, etc. Don't want you having that focus in my niches, or you would just crowd me out!!! Here are a couple of my Domnas... RI Julia Domna 193-195 CE AR Den Vesta Palladium RI Julia Domna 196-211 CE AE As Hilaritas cornuc RIC IVa 877
I'd been aware of this issue peripherally but it's never been on my want list... until now. I'm not usually too impulsive, but I promptly went and bought the first one I saw, so thanks a fat lot, @Roman Collector ! Not the first and won't be the last time for an occurrence of this nature, I guess . CT is dangerous!!
Here is my example of the MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR reverse. After reading @dougsmit's comments above concerning the Rome/Laodicea Mint issues, I would think that I do not see an extra loop (what is it supposed to be, a necklace? an additional piece of unknown clothing?) on my coin. According to research I did when attributing the coin (it was bought out of a fun bag of mixed denarii), this is a Roman issue. Julia Domna, Denarius, MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR AR Denarius Julia Domna Born circa 170AD; Died 217AD Augusta: 193 - 211AD Issued: 211 - 217AD (Under Caracalla) 19.5 x 18.5mm O: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG; Draped bust, right. R: MAT AVGG MAT SEN M PATR; Julia Domna standing left, holding branch in right hand and scepter in left hand. Rome Mint RIC Caracalla 380; BMC Caracalla C11; RSC 114. Aorta: 205: B6, O6, R56, T71, M4. Pegasi Numismatics CSNS 2017 Show Schaumburg, IL 4/27/17 4/28/17
I have many times expressed the minority opinion that it is sinful to post catalog numbers that have been derived without using or understanding the reference involved. In the case of Hill, I should be silent and let you all buy what I consider to be a worthless booklet filled with questionable calls. I have not seen T&M yet. Someone who has, please review it. Did you miss the part about that 'rule' applying to IVLIA AVGVSTA legend coins? Please don't make this harder than it is. All 'Pia Felix' Domna coins are Rome unless you have a barbarous one which could have been made anywhere. When Septimius finished mopping up the Eastern wars, he closed all the mints that had been necessary when there were huge armies there and went after Clodius Albinus in the West. That did not take long enough that he felt the need for another branch mint so Rome was the only denarius mint for the last part of the reign and all of Caracalla's sole reign. When Septimius died in 211, coins of Julia Domna switched to the new 'Pia Felix' legend (I'm unclear what she was supposed to be happy about!). Understand we are only talking about Imperial coins (denarii) here. There were many Provincial coins for local use in the places that issued them. Those get discussed here often, too, but not tonight.
While I focus on Severus Alexander it's hard to resist Julia Domna and Septimius Severus because they have so many interesting reverse types. IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, Julia Domna draped bust right PVDICITIA, Pudicitia seated left head facing, Hand on breast and holding long transverse sceptre 3.03 g 19mm RIC 385 RSC 172a struck under Caracalla at Rome I picked this one up because I was unfamiliar with the reverse type, which I now understand to represent the virtue of chastity or modesty. At least Caracalla had enough sense left to associate these traits with his mother and not himself.
