Lot 118
Rome. Septimius Severus, 193-111 AD. Gold Aureus (7.23 g), Rome mint, struck 198 AD. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Severus right. Reverse: Victory walks left, holding out a wreath, and carrying a trophy of arms at her shoulder, a bound Parthian captive sits left at her feet; VICT PARTHICAE. Biaggi 1111 (same reverse die); RIC 142b; C. 741 var. Superb strike and centering, on round flan. Very rare. NGC graded Uncirculated.
Once Severus' main rival to the throne was eliminated (Pescennius Niger), Severus then turned his attention to retribution towards the Parthian vassal states who had supported Niger, defeating a number of them by 195 AD. However, actions in the East had to cease because Severus now chose to disentangle himself from his junior Caesar, and designated "heir," Clodius Albinus. Relations between the two had begun to sour, in haste. Secure in his triumphs, Severus now designated his two sons as his heirs, elevated Caracalla to Caesar, and finally persuaded the Senate to declare Albinus a "public enemy." By 197, Albinus was destroyed, civil war ended, and Severus, with his dynasty intact, now was firmly in control.
Once more he turned his attentions to Parthia, mounting such a massive invasion that it culminated in the capture and sack of their royal capital, Ctesiphon. Severus' victory was so complete that it would ultimately initiate the final decline of the Parthians, who would be overthrown by the Sasanian dynasty nearly 25 years later. The Roman victory, which is commemorated in the above coin, would also prompt Severus to give his elder son, Caracalla, the title of Augustus, and elevate the younger son, Geta, to Caesar. After off and on civil wars for six years, Severus and the succession were finally assured.
Estimated Value $12,500 - 15,000.
Illustrated in Money of the World, coin 48.
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| Realized $44,850 |
