Julia Maesa, Augusta, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, Circa 220-222 AD – Felicitas

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SKU: R1.27 Categories: ,
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Description

Roman Imperial, Julia Maesa, Augusta, AR Denarius (silver, 2.61g, 18.6mm), Rome Mint, Circa 220-222 AD
Obv: IVLIA MAESA AVG; Draped bust of Julia Maesa to right
Rev: SAECVLI FELICITAS; Felicitas standing front, head to left, holding long caduceus with her left hand and sacrificing from patera over altar with her right; star to right
Ref: Cohen 45; RIC 271 Rarity/Choice: Common, aEF (minor hariline scratches otherwise beautifuly struck and nice toning)
Note: Julia Maesa was a prominent Roman matron of the Severan dynasty, grandmother to Emperors Elagabalus and Severus Alexander. Her influence was crucial in the rise and stabilization of her grandsons’ reigns. Maesa’s power and political acumen helped restore the Severan dynasty after the assassination of her nephew, Caracalla, and the subsequent fall of Macrinus. This coin was minted in Rome during a period marked by Julia Maesa’s significant influence over the empire’s political affairs. Her efforts to stabilize the Severan dynasty after the chaos that followed Caracalla’s assassination were pivotal in maintaining imperial continuity. The Denarius of Julia Maesa provides valuable insights into her role and influence within the Severan dynasty. Through its imagery and inscriptions (Felicitas symbolize the personification of happiness and good fortune), the coin highlights her status as Augusta and her contributions to the prosperity and stability of the empire. As a widely circulated medium, this coin would have conveyed messages of dynastic continuity, imperial piety, and the hoped-for happiness of the age to the people of Rome and the broader empire.

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