Ancient Roman coins of the four Severan Julias

WillieBoyd2

Revised October 20, 2008 with new coin and picture:

I finally managed to get Roman denarii from all four of the "Severan Julias",
the four women who partly ran the Roman Empire after the death of Septimius Severus,
from AD 211 to AD 235.


Julia Domna Denarius - Pudicitia
Obverse: Draped bust right
IVLIA AVGVSTA
Reverse: Pudicitia seated left, veiled and right hand on her breast; left arm at side
PVDICITIA
Catalog: RIC 576 RSC 168 - Struck 196-211
Julia Domna was the wife of Septimius Severus and the mother of Caracalla and Geta


Julia Maesa Denarius - Pudicitia
Obverse: Draped bust right
IVLIA MAESA AVG
Reverse: Pudicitia seated left, raising veil and holding scepter
PVDICITIA
Catalog: RIC 268 RSC 36 - Struck 220-222
Julia Maesa was the sister of Julia Domna and the
mother of Julia Soaemias and Julia Mamaea


Julia Mamaea Denarius - Vesta
Obverse: Diademed and draped bust right
IVLIA MAMAEA AVG
Reverse: Vesta standing half-left, holding palladium and scepter
VESTA
Catalog: RIC 360 RSC 81
Julia Mamaea was the mother of Severus Alexander


Julia Soaemias Denarius - Venus
Obverse: Draped bust right
IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVG
Reverse: Venus seated left, holding scepter, extending her hand to Cupid standing before her
VENVS CAELESTIS
Catalog: RIC 243 RSC 14 - Struck AD 220
Julia Soaemias was the mother of Elagabalus

For more information on these ladies:

https://www.roman-emperors.org/sevjulia.htm

https://womenshistory.about.com/od/romanempire/tp/roman_julias.htm

lordmarcovan

Two of those look pretty familiar to me. Hmm.

I just had a nice toned Julia Maesa that I just traded to a YN for a song. I could afford to swap it to him for some cheap US coins, because I had nothing in it (it had been a gift from Aethelred originally).



If you would be interested in it as an upgrade to yours, let me know, and I can contact the kid I swapped it to and see if he wants to sell it back. I can offer him a profit on his investment and still sell it to you at a modest price, I am sure.

MJPHELAN

Julia Maesa looks like Susan B. Anthony. I wonder if it circulated much.

Congrats on your collection.

Mark

lordmarcovan

Y'know, she does, now that you mention it.

Old and spinsterly and humorless.

Of course she was the grandmother of two emperors. That had to be stressful!

(Edit: nah, maybe not. She's got a hint of a "Mona Lisa" smile there on that coin I sold.)