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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;willieboyd2, post: 760107, member: 4910&quot;]This Roman provincial coin was issued at Emesa, Syria during the reign of the</p><p>emperor Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161).</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse depicts the Black Stone of Emesa, which was worshiped in Syria</p><p>as the god Elagabal.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_rome_antoninus_emesastone.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>The stone is believed to be a meteorite. Such stones were very important in</p><p>the Syrian-Phoenician religion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Elagabal had always been worshipped with much pomp and devotion, accompanied</p><p>by music and dancing. He had no statue, but was venerated as a</p><p>black stone with a round base and a pointed top. On coins, it is</p><p>usually shown with an eagle spreading its wings over the object in a</p><p>protective way.</p><p><br /></p><p>The cult of Elagabal was later introduced into Rome by the emperor</p><p>Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (AD 218-222) who was later known as</p><p>Elagabalus, after his stone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Rome, the god Elagabal was also known as Sol Invictus (the invincible sun).</p><p><br /></p><p>Sol Invictus later became a major god of Rome in the 4th century, </p><p>and his birthday of December 25 is still celebrated in some places.</p><p><br /></p><p>More information:</p><p><a href="http://www.livius.org/ei-er/elagabal/elagabal.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.livius.org/ei-er/elagabal/elagabal.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.livius.org/ei-er/elagabal/elagabal.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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