Happy Birthday, Caracalla!! Lived : 4 April 188 - 8 April 217 Reigned : 198 - 8 April 217 The genial side of Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus (Caracalla to us) has proven a little hard to uncover. Most historians that speak of him tend to describe him as an uncouth, murderous thug with questionable fashion sense and an unseemly man crush on Alexander the Great. Ancient sources like Herodian and Cassius Dio have him trying to kill his father Septimius Severus on at least one occasion, engineering his father-in-law's execution, ordering his wife's exile and subsequent murder, his brother Geta's assassination in his mother's arms, the homicidal purging of 20,000 of Geta's followers, and the massacre of a large part of Alexandria's population for making jokes about him behind is back. There are nevertheless Caracalla apologists who will probably brush these aside as minor 'personality problems' and point to his energetic efforts on the military front - strengthening the support of the army behind the regime by increasing the rights and salary of soldiers, securing the German frontier against the Alamanni, and preparing for a war of some significance against the Parthians. He was certainly popular with the soldiery, who mourned his death to an assassin's blade while taking a bio break outside Carrhae in 217. For me, I just love the loads and loads of wonderful, scowly-faced coins he struck. The one I'm showing today is a recent purchase that has him with a slightly bored who-am-I-going-to-kill-next kind of look that I actually quite enjoy. Pile on your favorite Caracallas! CARACALLA Denarius 3.3g, 18mm Rome mint, 213 AD. RIC 235; C 151. O: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate head right. R: MARTI PROPVGNATORI, Mars hurrying left, holding spear and trophy.
Caracalla, 198-217 AD Rome, struck 215 AD AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.8 gm Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate head right (looks like GURM instead of GERM) Rev: PM TRP XVIII COS IIII, Fides standing left holding two standards Ref: RIC 266, RSC 315, BMC 143, ICD-10 F60.2 and Z62.891 THRACE, Pautalia. Caracalla 198-217 AD AE29, 16.4 gm Obv: AYT K M AY CEY ANTΩNEINOC; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Rev: OYΛΠIAC ΠAYTAΛIAC; Asklepios seated right on back of winged serpent Ref: Varbanov 5007, ICD-10 F60.2 and Z62.891
Very nice coins! Difficult to wish someone a happy birthday with such a bad reputation unless it is untrue. lol I'm sure the soldiers would celebrate. I only have one Caracalla coin, very low grade. Only paid $8 for it.
Caracalla Denarius. 209 AD, 1.8g, 19mm OBV: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, Laureate head right. REV: LIBERTAS AVG, Libertas standing left holding pileus & sceptre. REF: RIC 161, RSC 143, Sear (RCV 2000) 6817
Happy B-Day, C-dawg!! Caracalla AR Antoninianus Rome mint 198-217 A.D. Struck AD 215 Diameter: 24 mm Weight: 5.19 grams Obverse: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: Radiate / Luna driving biga of oxen left Reference: RIC IV 256c; RSC 294a Other: 6h ... RIC. Darkly toned, light porosity and deposits. Scarce
The ages of Caracalla: CARACALLA AR Denarius OBVERSE: M AVR ANTON CAES PONTIF, bare-headed, draped bust right REVERSE: PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Caracalla standing left, holding baton and sceptre; trophy to right Struck at Rome, 196-8 AD 2.9g, 17mm RIC 13a CARACALLA AR Denarius OBVERSE: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: PONTIF TRP VIIII COS II, Mars in military dress standing left leaning on shield holding reversed spear Struck at Rome, 206 AD 3.43g , 19mm RIC 93 CARACALLA AR Denarius OBVERSE: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right REVERSE: P M TR P XIIII COS III P P, Pax running left holding branch & scepter Struck at Rome, 211 AD 3.11g, 18mm RIC 184, RSC 190, BMC 4
Caracalla; AD 198-217 Silver Denarius; 17mm/3.2 g OBV: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right REV: MARTI PROPVGNATORI, Mars walking left, holding spear and trophy. (RIC 223)
Very nice Caracalla's folks, very cool.... Mine is a ex. jwmadroosi coin.. Caracalla..198-217..AD. Ar Denarius..
Four of my favorite Provincials: Caesarea AR drachm as Caesar 198 AD Anchialus, celebrating his wedding games at that city, I believe Pautalia with three graces Antioch AR tetradrachm ...and four of my favorite Imperials: Rome mint as Caesar Laodicea mint young Augustus SAL GEN HVM - Health of the Human Race Antoninianus with Pluto and Cerberus Sestertius as corpse - a very rare coin and BD survivor
Wow gang => there are certainly some fantastic birthday coins being shown today!! ... Doug, you really have some winners in your stable, eh? (congrats!) => yeeeehaaaaa, it's the weekend!!
