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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2855416, member: 81887&quot;]Here&#039;s my latest ancient acquisition, from a John Anthony auction:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]678667[/ATTACH] </p><p>Roman Empire, Rome mint.&nbsp; AR denarius (18mm, 3.17g).&nbsp; Septimius Severus (193-211 AD), struck 201 AD.&nbsp; Obverse: Laureate bust right, SEVERVS PIVS AVG.&nbsp; Reverse: Two Parthian captives seated under trophy of arms, PART MAX PM TR P VIIII.&nbsp; RIC IVa 176.&nbsp; John Anthony auction, from the Arnoldoe collection; ex-Lanz 161, lot 353.</p><p><br /></p><p>Septimius Severus was born in 145 AD in Leptis Magna (in what is now Libya), of mixed Italian and Punic (and possibly Berber) ancestry.&nbsp; Little is known of his early career, but in 191 he was appointed governor of Upper Pannonia by Commodus.&nbsp; Commodus was assassinated on the last day of 192 and Pertinax proclaimed emperor, but was killed by the Praetorian Guard just three months later.&nbsp; The Praetorians then blatantly auctioned off the emperorship to the highest bidder, Didius Julianus.&nbsp; Meanwhile, on hearing of the murder of Pertinax, Severus&#039; troops proclaimed him emperor, and he began a march to Rome.&nbsp; Julianus proved unable to raise the huge sums he had promised, and his support quickly fell away; he was killed after a reign of 66 days, and Septimius Severus entered Rome unopposed.&nbsp; Severus, realizing that the Praetorians were trouble, had Pertinax&#039; killers executed and dismissed the rest of the Praetorians, replacing them with men from his own legions whose loyalty he could trust.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, the legions in Syria had proclaimed Pescennius Niger as emperor, and he had received encouragement from Parthia and its allies, including Osrhoene.&nbsp; Severus first shored up his rear by proclaiming his commander in Britain, Clodius Albinus, as Caesar, then moved against Niger.&nbsp; He defeated Niger in 194, then fought in Mesopotamia against Niger&#039;s allies the Parthians, Arabs, and Adiabenians.&nbsp; As a result, Severus annexed most of Osrhoene as a Roman province.&nbsp; Albinus rebelled in 195, upset at being passed over as Severus&#039; designated successor in favor of Severus&#039; own son Caracalla.&nbsp; Albinus was killed in Gaul in 197, leaving Severus free to launch a more extensive war against Parthia.&nbsp; This went well for the Romans, including the sacking of the Parthian capitol Ctesiphon and temporary expansion of the Roman provincial border to the Tigris.&nbsp; However, he failed twice to take the key fortress town of Hatra and (like all Roman armies) made no headway into the Iranian heartland of Parthia.&nbsp; Content with the new territory in Mesopotamia, he moved on to other campaigns in North Africa and in Caledonia (Scotland).&nbsp; While campaigning in Britain he fell ill, and died at Eboracum (York) in 211 AD, leaving the empire to his two sons Caracalla and Geta.&nbsp; He left the Roman Empire with its greatest territorial extent ever, as well as founding the Severan Dynasty.</p><p><br /></p><p>Septimius Severus issued many coin types to commemorate his Parthian victories (as well as a triumphal arch that still stands in the Roman Forum).&nbsp; This is a nice specimen with a good, high-grade portrait and clear reverse type.&nbsp; The reverse legend &quot;Part Max&quot;&nbsp; stands for &quot;Parthicus Maximus&quot; (Greatest Conqueror of the Parthians).&nbsp; Share your Severan coins, or coins with Parthian references.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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