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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sallent, post: 2646276, member: 76194&quot;]Elagabalus&#039; rule was meant to end in blood. His sexual deviance was epic. He married a vestal virgin and 3 other women. He publicly displayed himself as sexually passive in open relationships with other men. He even tried marrying a man, and wore makeup and women&#039;s clothing. Rumors have it that he even tried changing his sex to that of a woman. Chances are Elagabalus was a transexual person, something the ancient world probably didn&#039;t understand in the way we do today.</p><p><br /></p><p>His disregard for Roman religion, replacing other deities with the worship of the Elagabal stone, didn&#039;t do any favors for him either in the eyes of the Roman elite.</p><p><br /></p><p>But we must not forget that he was also a child Emperor. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and in the hands of a spoiled child, absolute power can also be a calamitous thing for an empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]584717[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Bust of Elagabalus</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>The culprit for Elagabalus&#039; reign, and the person who should get the blame for destroying this child by elevating him to a position of absolute power for which this boy was totally unsuited and unprepared, and in the process bringing the empire to the edge of calamity, was his grandmother Julia Maesa.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]584715[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Julia Maesa</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, Julia Maesa was a viper. When Elagabalus tore himself appart with absolute power, she conspired to kill him and also kill her own daughter. She was no cuddly grandmother, but rather an unscrupulous politician and an absolute monster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Her next victim, Alexander Severus, barely escaped with his life due to her machinations...though he would pay with his life at a later date.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not content with destroying one grandson, Julia Maesa thrust Alexander Severus as the replacement for Elagabalus while the former yet lived. This painted a bull&#039;s-eye on the poor boy&#039;s back, and he barely survived several assassination attempts at the hands of Elagabalus. Enough to traumatise him for life.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]584719[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Alexander Severus</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Failing to kill Alexander Severus, Elagabalus, for some mysterious reason leaked the news that Alexander Severus had died. This infuriated the army and made the soldiers mutinous. Trying to quell the revolt, Elagabalus produced Alexander Severus, who had to witness one more barbarity as the soldiers turned on Elagabalus and tore him and his mother limb for limb and cast the former emperor&#039;s body in the Tiber.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reason for this post is this coin, probably minted at the end of Elagabalus&#039; reign (judging by the facial hair). He is depicted also in the reverse offering sacrifice to Sol Elagabal.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]584718[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Elagabalus </b></p><p>AR Denarius. 19mm, 2.55g.</p><p>Rome Mint 218-222 CE.</p><p>Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate and draped bust right, horn at peak of bust.</p><p>Reverse: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB, Elagabalus standing right, sacrificing over lighted altar, holding patera and club; star in right field.</p><p>RIC: 131, RSC 246.</p><p><br /></p><p>For all the evil that can be spoken of Elagabalus, looking at this portrait it is almost hard not to feel sorry for him. He never had a chance, and in a way is as much a victim as everyone else of the machinations and political ambitions of others, mainly his grandmother.</p><p><br /></p><p>PS: after seeking a coin of his for the better part of a year, I got me a real winner with this coin. What do you think?</p><p><br /></p><p>Post whatever coins you think relevant to this topic.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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