Septimius Severus, 193-211. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 3.44 g, 12 h), Rome, 207. SEVERVS PIVS AVG Laureate head of Septimius Severus to right. Rev. IOVI CONSERVATORI Laureate head of Jupiter to right, with slight drapery over his left shoulder. BMC Addenda p. 622, 340A* = P. V. Hill: The coinage of Septimius Severus and his family of the mint of Rome A.D. 193-217 (1964), p. 34, 899. Cohen -. RIC -. Of the highest rarity, apparently the second known example. A wonderful coin with a highly interesting reverse type in the finest Severan style. Very light deposits, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.
This magnificent coin represents the second known example of its type, the first being housed in Basel. On the reverse, it features the bust of Iovi Conservatori - Jupiter as preserver and protector. A parallel example is known from a coin of Caracalla, held in Paris, which was struck using the same reverse die. The precise background of this extraordinary issue remains uncertain, but the 'head only' type suggests it could not have been minted before 206 (we are grateful to C. Clay for these insightful contributions). There appears to be a connection to types featuring the Aegis and Medusa (see Lot 457 below), as well as to a unique coin of Julia Domna auctioned in our Auction 3 (2018), 257, which depicts a bust of the victorious Venus on the reverse. For Geta, there is also a type with the head of Minerva (RIC 35), which may belong to the same series. Also relevant is a type struck for both Septimius and Caracalla, featuring a bust of Sol accompanied by a legend that praises the sun god - and by extension, the emperors - as Pacator Orbis, the Bringer of Peace to the World. The comparison with RIC 204 is particularly intriguing: this exceedingly rare denarius of Septimius Severus, dated to 207 by the tribunicia potestate, depicts Jupiter in a quadriga hurling lightning bolts at two giants. The legend refers to Jupiter as Victrix, the Victorious - a theme closely aligned with the victorious Venus of Julia Domna. This visual parallel between emperor and empress, and between god and goddess, serves to elevate their sacred status. If our coin is indeed connected to the dated RIC 204, the entire issue could be placed in 207, offering valuable iconographic context. The victorious Jupiter vanquishing the giants, Jupiter as Iovi Conservatori, the victorious Venus, the defending Minerva, the protecting Aegis, and Sol as Pacator Orbis all point toward a concerted message of divine protection and triumph in the face of a significant threat. It is possible that these coins refer to the suppression of the Bulla Felix uprising, which, according to Cassius Dio, ravaged Italy with a band of marauders from 205 to 207. However, this account is laden with legendary and anecdotal elements (including the name of the leader), and its historicity is often questioned by scholars. Nevertheless, Roman imperial history is not without its share of conspiracies, and just as Nero commemorated the suppression of the Pisonian Conspiracy with coins depicting Jupiter Custos (Jupiter the Protector), the Severan coins may also allude to an otherwise unknown conspiracy in 207. Alternatively, the coins could carry a more general symbolic meaning, representing the imperial family and their divine companions as protectors, victorious and preserving, thus reinforcing the legitimacy of the Severan dynasty. The exceptional rarity of these coins, however, suggests that they likely commemorate a singular event, rather than serving as a general representation of imperial authority. In any case, these coins are of great historical and iconographic significance, and their later reception by emperors such as Postumus and the Tetrarchs underscores their lasting influence on the coinage of the barracks emperors, despite their extreme rarity today