Pertinax, 193. Aureus (Gold, 20 mm, 7.27 g, 6 h), Rome, 1 January-28 March 193. IMP CAES P HELV PERTIN•AVG Laureate and draped bust of Pertinax to right, seen from behind. Rev. PROVID DEOR COS II Providentia standing front, head to left, raising her hands toward star above. BMC 10. Calicó 2388 (same dies). Cohen 39. RIC 10b. Very rare. A beautiful example with a bold portrait of fine style. Two minor scrapes on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.


Born of humble origin (his father was a Ligurian freedman), Pertinax made a brilliant career for himself under Marcus Aurelius, serving in various theaters of war such as the Parthian Campaign of Lucius Verus in 161-166 and the fiercely fought over Marcomannic Wars of 166-180. His military successes built him a great reputation and he became one of Marcus' closest allies in the late 170s, who promoted him to suffect consul in 175 and, consecutively, to governor of Moesia Inferior (176-177), Moesia Superior (177), Dacia (178-179) and Syria (179-180). Pertinax's career suffered a temporary setback in the early years of Commodus' reign, but the years 185-187 saw him as the governor of Britannia, he was praefectus alimentorum in 187-188, he served as proconsul Africae in 188-189 or 189-190 and became the praefectus urbi in 190-192, a very important positon close to the emperor that culminated in Pertinax holding the consulate together with Commodus in 192. When the Praetorian Prefect Aemilius Laetus had Commodus murdered on 31 December 192, the 66 year-old Pertinax was proclaimed his successor. A highly respected and long-serving veteran of Roman politics, the new emperor strived to reorganize the res publica after the troubled reign of Commodus by returning to the measured policies of Marcus Aurelius. However, his financial austerity and his attempts to restore discipline soon brought him into conflict with the Praetorian Guard. Pertinax apparently overestimated his influence and realized too late that his emperorship was largely dependent on the support of the guardsmen, who had him killed on 28 March 193 before selling the throne to Didius Iulianus for a mind-boggling donative of 25,000 sestertii per soldier. Pertinax was later raised to Divus Pertinax Pater by Septimius Severus, who captured Rome on 9 June 193 and founded the Severan dynasty (193-235).