Julia Domna, Augusta, 193-217. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.66 g, 10 h), Emesa (?), 193-196. IVLIA DOMNA AVG Draped bust of Julia Domna to right.
Rev. SAECVL FELICIT• Large crescent with seven stars above. BMC 421. Cohen 173 var. (with dot between stars). RIC 629. Very rare. An unusually attractive example of this difficult issue, very well struck and with an interesting reverse type. Nearly extremely fine.
From an old Swiss collection started in the 19th century.
As noted under lot 228, astrology played an important role in the ancient world, and as such, many coins carry astrological symbols. This was especially poignant for the Severans, as Septimius Severus was an accomplished astrologer himself, who allegedly chose Julia Domna as his wife for her compatible horoscope (SHA Hadrian, 16.7 and Septimius Severus, 3.9). The reverse of this unusually fine denarius shows seven stars above a crescent - perhaps showing the Pleiades, an important star cluster whose heliacal rising denoted the start of the sailing season in late spring. However, already during the Republic, such a motif with fewer stars was used (Crawford 494/21), urging caution in our interpretation.
