DI-5941 | RIC IV Elagabalus 195b
Elagabalus
Elagabalus

Dynasty: Severan
Emperor: Elagabalus
Authority: Elagabalus
Date and mint: AD 218/AD 222 - Antioch


Obverse: Bust of Elagabalus, laureate, draped, right
Legend: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG

Reverse: Quadriga lenta which advances right, on the which is colocada the piedra conical of Emesa wreathed by a Eagle; in carruaje, the piedra is rodeada by four sombrillas
Legend: SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL

Comment: Elagabalus' family came from Emesa in Syria and was linked to Roman high society through his great-grandfather Septimius Severus. His grandmother Julia Maesa was central to the restoration of Severan power after Caracalla's death, and together with Julia Soaemias, Elagabalus' mother, she used family connections to engineer his rise in AD 218. The family was closely associated with the cult of the sun god El-Gabal at Emesa. Elagabalus ruled from AD 218 to 222, and his reign was marked by eccentric conduct and religious zeal that alienated both the Senate and much of Roman society. He introduced the cult of El-Gabal at Rome and promoted himself as high priest, provoking political resistance. This denarius was struck amid religious and political tension. The obverse presents him in traditional imperial form as laureate and draped, while the reverse is especially significant: an ornamented quadriga with four parasols carries a sacred conical stone with an eagle. The image symbolizes the Syrian sun cult and the attempt to fuse religious and imperial power under El-Gabal's protection.

Provenance: Fritz Rudolf (2020)
Price: 3,400 €