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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TIF, post: 2510338, member: 56859&quot;]I was absolutely delighted to see this particular coin in a recent Buy/Bid Sale, especially since the Buy price was significantly less than my losing bid when it was sold by CNG last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Julia Domna &quot;four seasons&quot; denarius has topped my Domna wish list for a couple of years.&nbsp; I bid high and hard last year-- higher than planned-- and still ended up as underbidder.&nbsp; Now I&#039;m very glad to have lost it last year!&nbsp; I entered my credit card number as quickly as possible when this sale posted, fearing a mistake in the listing.&nbsp; Two days later the coin was in my hands <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]533804[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Julia Domna</b></p><p>AR denarius, 19.5mm, 3.17 gm, 6h. Rome mint</p><p>Struck under Septimius Severus, circa AD 207-211</p><p>Obv:&nbsp; IVLIA AVGVSTA; draped bust right</p><p>Rev:&nbsp; Fecunditas or Tellus (Earth) reclining left under tree, resting arm on basket of fruit and placing hand on celestial orb; standing before her are four children representing the Four Seasons</p><p>Ref:&nbsp; RIC IV 549 (Septimius Severus); RSC 35</p><p>ex R.H. Collection</p><p><i>This was a tough coin to photograph.&nbsp; It is very reflective.&nbsp; Perhaps the images I took without reflections show the details better, but I like having some brightness in the fields. </i></p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>Julia Domna became of the most influential women of ancient Rome.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a young unmarried Syrian woman, her horoscope supposedly fortold that her husband would be come king.&nbsp; Apparently the stars were aligned for her and Septimius Severus.&nbsp; <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Septimius_Severus*.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Septimius_Severus*.html" rel="nofollow">From Historia Augusta, Life of Septimius Severus</a>:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;He had meanwhile lost his wife, and now, wishing to take another, he made inquiries about the horoscopes of marriageable women, being himself no mean astrologer; and when he learned that there was a woman in Syria whose horoscope predicted that she would wed a king (I mean Julia, of course), he sought her for his wife, and through the mediation of his friends secured her. By her, presently, he became a father.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Horoscopes: ancient version of Match.com?&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Their marriage produced Caracalla and Geta.&nbsp; Her influence with them helped quell a move to divide the empire into East and West.&nbsp; In her lifetime she was honored with the titles <i>Augusta, Mater Senatus</i> (mother of the Senate), and <i>Mater Patriae</i> (mother of the fatherland), the latter two apparently unprecedented.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nicknamed &quot;The Philosopher&quot;, she was a patron of arts and literature, surrounding herself with learned members of society.</p><p><br /></p><p>Her authority and prestige ended with the murder of Caracalla and she died in Syria, reportedly by starving herself but some scholars suggest her death was from breast cancer.&nbsp; She was posthumously deified.</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse of the coin is the major interest to me.&nbsp; Her portrait is not one of the better types (on this or any of the Fecunditas &quot;four seasons&quot; denarii), but for some reason I love these reverses.&nbsp; I&#039;ve seen more than a couple of fakes of this type too, so be sure to check the fake databases before buying this type.&nbsp; In particular, there is a fake in which the middle portion of the tree trunk is missing.&nbsp; That&#039;s the hallmark of that particular fake and once you see it, you&#039;ll be able to easily spot it again.</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, please post any related coins <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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