Elagabalus, 218-222. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 2.60 g, 12 h), uncertain mint in the East, 218-219. ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus to right, seen from behind. Rev. SOLI PROPVGNATORI Sol-Elagabalus, nude, advancing right, brandishing thunderbolt in his right hand and extending his left arm wrapped in his cloak. BMC -. Cohen -. Lanz 102 (2001), 804 = Berk Buy or Bid Sale 190 (2014), 193 (same dies). Soler y Llach 1068 (2011), 2714 (same dies). RIC -. Thirion -. Extremely rare, apparently the fourth and finest known example. Lightly toned and of great historical interest, with a beautiful reverse. Very minor areas of weakness, otherwise, about extremely fine.



Born in Emesa in 204, Elagabalus ascended the throne at just fourteen, following the defeat of Macrinus at Antioch in 218. Before his elevation he had served as high priest of the local sun god Elagabal, whose cult he sought to transplant to Rome, taking his imperial name from the deity. Throughout his short and turbulent reign (218-222), Elagabalus attempted to raise his Syrian sun god above all others - even above Jupiter, the traditional protector of the Roman state - a policy that scandalized conservative Roman society.

This extraordinary denarius offers one of the clearest visual statements of the young emperor's ambition. On its reverse the Emesene sun god - identified with the Roman Sol - appears not with his usual attributes but with those of Jupiter, wielding a thunderbolt and bearing the title PROPUGNATOR, 'Defender'. The type implies that Elagabalus credited his victory over Macrinus to the intervention of his god, now cast as Rome’s celestial champion. Such a portrayal is without parallel in the imperial series: normally it is Jupiter, Rome’s supreme deity, who is invoked as the 'Defender,' or sometimes Mars as god of war. Here, uniquely, the epithet and weapon of Jupiter are transferred to the Syrian solar deity in the guise of Sol.

The rarity of the type underscores its exceptional nature. Previously attested only on a single Eastern aureus, once in the Montagu and d’Amécourt collections and now in the British Museum, the reverse first appeared on silver with the discovery of a denarius offered in Lanz 102 (2001), 804. With now only four denarii known, this remarkable issue remains a striking witness to Elagabalus’ religious programme and his bold attempt to reshape the symbolic language of Roman power in favour of his Syrian sun god.