In a kind of great/not so great set of events, a bunch of great coins came up recently that had me making hard decisions. Does my family eat this week? Do I not pay rent? When does my wife plan on leaving me? This is a coin that I had been looking for at the right price for a long time. While not as fancy as the issue with AFRICA as the reverse legend, the personification of Africa and the attendant lion make me pretty happy in general. Septimius Severus was born on April 11, 145AD in Lepcis Magna in Tripolitania on the northern African coast. Consider Italy, with the tip of its boot pointing to Sicily then trace a line directly south to the African coast; you will find Lepcis Magna in Tripolitania there. Originally settled by Phoenician explorers about 1100 years before the birth of Septimius, Tripolitania occupied a key route gateway to the interior of the continent as well as contained the most fertile land in Libya. The Punic language and culture stayed prevalent in Lepcis Magna throughout the period before Septimius' birth and was still spoken in the hinterlands as well as in the city by natives, if no longer recorded on official inscriptions. After the Roman victory in the Second Punic War, Lepcis Magna, the client city-state of Carthage, fell under Roman purview. Occasionally Lepcitani found themselves on the wrong side of Rome as during the reign of Julius Caesar who punished them with an annual tribute of 3 million pounds of olive oil. Over the next two centuries, Lepcis Magna would rise in importance from free state allied with Rome, to client state and finally an official colony. Lepcis Magna produced great wealth as a result of farming and trade and Septimius Severus' family was well established as a leading family by the time he was born. They held estates near Rome and substantial wealth that derived from it. Africa would remain a key part of the Roman Empire for centuries to come because of the grain and wealth it brought as well as the rise of influential men, some of whom would follow in Septimius' footsteps to become emperor. The issue of 207AD comments on Septimius' possible trip to Africa in 206AD. (After reading Birley's biography of Severus, I have also found some notes from old Forvm entries from Curtis Clay in which he argues that there does not seem to be time for imperial trips to Carthage in 203-4 or Africa/Lepcis Magna in 206 according to the known timeline of events. I am not well versed enough to comment on this matter.) The figure of Africa with attendant lion recalls the issue of 204AD which honored Carthage, with Dea Caelestis riding a leaping lion over waters gushing from a rock. The meaning of the imagery of the Carthaginian issue is unclear but the issue of Africa with lion is pretty well accepted as symbolic of key elements of African life: elephant headdress, ears of grain, reversed rudder and lion. In any case, I am not sure how well this reads now because I am tired. But hopefully there was something of value in here along with some sweet coin pictures. Septimius Severus, Denarius, PM TR P XV COS III PP AR Denarius Septimius Severus Augustus: 193 - 211AD Issued: 207AD 18.5 x 17.5mm 2.90gr O: SEVERVS PIVS AVG; Laureate bust, right. R: PM TR P XV COS III PP; Africa standing right, wearing elephant headdress, resting hand on hip, holding out folds of drapery and holding grain, lion to right at feet. Rome Mint RIC IV Septimius Severus 207; Sear 6341; RSC 493. Aorta: 805: B3, O81, R255; T3, M4. Roma Numismatics E-Sale 41, Lot 838. 12/4/17 12/23/17 And for reference, another great coin purchase for me this year: Septimius Severus, Denarius, INDVLGENTIA AVGG AR Denarius Septimius Severus Augustus: 193 - 211AD Issued: 202 - 210AD 19.0mm 3.65gr O: SEVERVS PIVS AVG: Laureate head, right. R: INDVLGENTIA AVGG; Dea Caelestis riding lion right, lion leaping over water gushing from rock to left, holding thunderbolt in right hand and scepter in left hand. Exergue: IN CARTH. Rome Mint RIC 266; Sear 6285; RSC 222; BMC 335. Aorta: 772: B3, O81, R121, T41, M4. Naville Numismatics Auction 30, Lot 588 4/2/17 4/28/17 Post all African issues or anything you want really! Thanks for reading!
Two good examples. I don't know how scarce the Indulgentia is, but it seems a coin most want in their collections.
