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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 7945234, member: 97383&quot;][ATTACH=full]1375857[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Septimius Severus, AD 193-211 (struck AD 194-195) Rome Mint. AE Sestertius: 24.58 gm, 32 mm, 6 h. Obverse: Laureate, cuirassed bust facing right, L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII. Reverse: Goddess Africa with elephant skin headdress, standing right, drawing fold of drapery from bosom, lion at feet facing right, AFRICA S C. RIC IV 676. <i>Ex CNG Inventory 861656, January 2010.</i></b></p><p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p>I became thoroughly engrossed with this emperor after reading the biography by Anthony R. Birley, <b>Septimius Severus, The African Emperor,</b> in the late 1990s, and ended up by buying a copy the revised edition (1988) several years ago. The revised edition has information on new discoveries &amp; added information from literary sources. After reading the revised edition I set a goal of acquiring a sestertius of Septimius Severus with an image of the goddess Africa on the reverse. Nice looking examples are hard to find &amp; expensive, high-grade examples exceed the limit on my Visa Card <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie11" alt=":rolleyes:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. So, when the above coin came up for auction again, I was determined to add it to my collection <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie85" alt=":smuggrin:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. The coin is well struck &amp; centered, with visible inscriptions. The coin has a pleasing patina too. I&#039;ve seen denarii with images of Africa on the reverse that aren&#039;t so expensive, see examples pictured below, but I wanted a coin larger than a denarius.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1375859[/ATTACH]</p><p>Photo courtesy of VCoins, Mark Breitsprecher.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1375863[/ATTACH]</p><p>Photo courtesy of Numismatica Ars Classica.</p><p><br /></p><p>Collectors often overlook the importance of Roman Africa for supplying the empire with food, oil, &amp; other commodities. Without these imports the empire could not have survived. Augustus Caesar, Tiberius, &amp; Vespasian understood the importance of Africa, &amp; helped to rebuild the province after it&#039;s decimation during the Punic Wars. Emperor Hadrian also understood the importance of Africa, &amp; had beautiful gold aurei struck to commemorate his visit to that province, see example below.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1375867[/ATTACH] <b>Hadrian, AD 117-138 (struck circa AD 130-133), Rome Mint. AV Aureus: 7.11 gm, 19 mm, 12 h. Reverse: Goddess Africa reclining, with her left arm on a basket of produce</b> <b>her right hand stroking the mane of a lion. Stalks of grain can be seen to the right of the basket. She is wearing her typical elephant skin headdress. Photo courtesy of CNG Triton XXIII, Lot 732.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>The ancestors of Septimius Severus settled in the province of Tripolitania (the cities of Oea, Sabratha, &amp; Leptis Magna), &amp; Severus was born &amp; raised in Leptis Magna, AD 145. He was son of P. Septimius Geta &amp; Fulvia Pia. Severus was given the name of his paternal grandfather: <b>Lucius Septimius Severus</b>, but was deified 50 years later as <b>Marcus (Antoninus Pius)</b>, in place of <b>Son of Publius</b>. This was done to deflect his Punic ethnicity, whom patricians looked down on. He believed by falsely claiming adoption into the Antonine dynasty he would be given higher status. His grandfather was a wealthy knight &amp; landowner, &amp; Severus was destined to enter Roman politics after moving to the city of Rome at the age of 15. Thus, the adventure began.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pictured below are photos of ruins from Leptis Magna, from Wikipedia.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1375883[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Arch of Septimius Severus</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1375884[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b>Outdoor Theater</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1375885[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b>Temple Remains</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1375886[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><br /></p><p>I urge anyone with a serious interest in the life &amp; times Septimius Severus to get a copy of Birley&#039;s book, it&#039;s a great read <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>CT </b>members with thoughts on Roman Africa &amp; coins of Septimius Severus are welcome to share them on this thread <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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