Roman Empire – Silver Denarius of emperor Elagabalus
Elagabalus, . Denarius (silver, 20 mm, 3.28 g), Rome, .IMP ANTONINVS AVG; laurelled, armoured and draped bust facing right, reverse.PROVID DEORVM Providentia facing left leaning against a short pillar, pointing with a stick to a globe in front of her and a cornucopia in her hand.Cohen 245. RIC 130. AAfter Macrinus Caracalla performed the assassination and became emperor, Julia Maesa started a propaganda feud against him by claiming that her 14 years old grandson Elagabalus was an extramarital child of Caracalla.This had an immediate effect, and soon Macrinus was killed.Julia Maesa was the sister of Julia Domna, Caracalla's mother.Elagabalus took the same name as Caracalla:Marcus Aurelius Antonius. His popularity faded due to him being publicly open about his homosexuality, and due to the imposing of the worshipping of the sun on the Romans.When this came to the attention of Julia Maesa, she had Elagabalus and her daughter Julia Soaemias killed, and her other grandson, Alexander Severus, was crowned as emperor.Louis Couperus wrote a novel on his life: "The Mountain of Light". Read More