I have been looking to get a new Antioch Tet of Otacilia Severa & finally acquired one at a great price. She can get pretty expensive, just look on Vcoins. It also is a scarcer type, via the reverse/eagle stance. Otacilia Severa (244 - 249 A.D.) SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria AR Tetradrachm O: AP ΩTAKIΛ CЄOYHPAN CЄB, draped bust right, wearing stephane, set on crescent. R: ΔHMAPX ЄΞOYCIAC YΠATO Γ, ANTIOXIA/S C in two lines in exergue, eagle standing facing, head and tail right, with wings displayed, holding wreath in beak. 11.76g 26mm McAlee-1091 (Rare); Prieur-385 (10 spec.) A scarce variety.
Beautiful coin and a nice example of OS. On Otacilia, here is a snippet... "Severa and Philip are sometimes considered as the first Christian imperial couple, because during their reign the persecutions of Christians had ceased and the couple had become tolerant towards Christianity but their beliefs have not been proven. It was through her intervention, for instance, that Bishop and Saint Babylas of Antioch was saved from persecution. In 249, the Danubian armies proclaimed Decius Augustus and in August, Philip died in battle near Verona and Decius became the sole emperor. Severa was in Rome at that time and when the news of her husband’s death arrived, their son was murdered by the Praetorian Guard still in her arms. Severa survived her husband and son and lived later in obscurity. It is mentioned in the Roan scripts of Malta V.118 of the museum of Valletta that she had set sail to the land of Aliya Shamsan to live in the birthplace of Phillip." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcia_Otacilia_Severa
Very nice, @Mat!! Very exciting! A nice coin at a nice price, it doesn't get better than that! Here's my only coin of hers... Otacilia Severa, Wife of Philip I AR Antoninianus, Struck 248-249 AD, Rome mint Obverse: OTACIL SEVERA AVG, bust right, diademed, draped, on crescent. Reverse: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia, draped, seated left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand; to left, altar. References: RIC IV 129
Lovely acquisition, @Mat ! Scarce, too! Here's my only Otacilia Severa from Antioch: Otacilia Severa, 244-249. Roman provincial AR tetradrachm, 12.23 g, 25.1 mm. Syria, Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch ad Orontem, AD 245. Obv: ΜΑΡ ΟΤΑΚΙΛ CΕΟΥΗΡΑ CΕΒ, diademed and draped bust, right. Rev: ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC ΥΠΑΤΟ Α, eagle on palm, left, tail right, SC in exergue. Refs: McAlee 1088; Prieur 341; BMC 541.
Antoninianus of Otacila Severa 244-249 A.D. Antioch Rv. Aequitas standing left RIC 138 3.73 grms 21mm
Beautiful OP coin ! Here is my Otacilia Severa coin, not a tet but a hippo Otacilia Severa, Antoninianus 22-23 mm; 4.05g; Obv. OTACIL SEVERA AVG Draped bust on crescent to right. Rev. SAECVLARES AVGG Hippopotamus standing to right; in exergue IIII. RIC IV, III p. 82, 116b Ex stock Florange Paris 1961.
What a lovely hippo, Marsman. Only have one from Otacilia, an Antoninianus: 22 x 24 mm, 3.44 g Rome, 247 AD, (7th Issue, 4th Officina) struck under the authority of Philip the Arab Ref.: RIC IV Part iii Philip I 126; Cohen 17; RCV 2000 Edition, 9149; Ob.: M OTACIL SEVERA AVG diademed, and draped bust right on crescent; hair weaved in straight lines and rows with long plait carried up the back of head Rev.: CONCORDIA AVGG, ("The empress and emperor endeavor as one in agreement") Concordia seated left, holding patera and single cornucopiae, altar before There were three different obverse inscriptions for coins issued for this empress by the mint in Rome. Coins from the earliest period, AD 244-246, read MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG; from the middle period, AD 246-248, M OTACIL SEVERA AVG; from the last period, AD 248-249, OTACIL SEVERA AVG. Concordia seated types were issued bearing all three different obverse legends. All are quite common in the antoninianus denomination. The crescent is also a value representation: a double Denarius = 1 Antoninianus
Excellent and scarce @Mat well done Here's a more common example, Prieur had it referenced in his database as #49 for the type Otacilia Severa, Tetradrachm Antioch mint, AD 244 MAW OTAKIA CEOYHPAN CEB, Draped and diademed bust right, on crescent seen from front DHMAPX EPHOYCIAC, Eagle facing, head left, wings open, holding a wreath in beak. SC at exergue 12.20 gr 26.5 mm Ref : Prieur # 324_049 Q
Nice score Mat ! I recently scored a nice example of a Otacilia Tet that was posted earlier, but will post here again to join the gallery of other fine examples in your thread . I'm still dumbfounded at the quantity of Tets still appearing at auction from the Michel Prieur collection . His collection must have numbered in the thousands .
Greek imperials are an important means of learning how the Latin names of the Roman rulers were pronounced in their day, because the Greek was spelled phonetically. These coins demonstrate that the "c" in Otaciia's name was pronounced hard, like a "k." Similarly, the "v" in Severa is pronounced soft, like a "w". This is consistent with Latin pronouciations I learned in my high school Latin classes. I wonder how many of us were pronouncing her name "Ota-silly-a " rather than "Ota-keely-a" ; and "Se-fer-a" rather than "Se-were-a"?
