Numismatik Naumann - Auktion 148 . 762
AI Rec
ELAGABALUS (218-222). Denarius. Antioch.
Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL.
Quadriga right bearing stone of Emesa upon which is an eagle; four parasols around.
RIC 195.
Varus Avitus Bassianus, son of Julia Soemia, besides being emperor was a priest of the sun god El-Gabal of Emesa, current Homs in Syria. In 218, thanks to the clever machinations of his grandmother Julia Maesa and the large sums of money she paid to the soldiers, Bassianus was appointed emperor under the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the same as Caracalla. This was not a random choice, for the late prince was very dear to the hearts of his soldiers and, more generally, the Antonine name was well liked by the Romans. Of course, Bassianus would have had no right to bear it if the wily Mesa had not spread the false rumor that he was Caracalla's son. According to the senatorial literature, ill-disposed toward authoritarian rulers, Bassianus was the worst emperor Rome had ever had. His biography, written by Aelius Lampridius, which describes him as the most vicious and perverse emperor ever, is certainly exaggerated. Bassianus, however, was unable to integrate himself into Rome and imposed his lifestyle and absolutist conception of power. As high priest of the god El-Gabal, he tried to impose his cult on Rome, claiming to put him in the place of Jupiter and going so far as to celebrate the divine wedding between the god and Minerva. El-Gabal was represented as a black cone, most likely a meteorite. Rome was forced to accommodate that cult and build for El-Gabal a sumptuous temple on the Palatine, the Elagabalium. It was because of this inconvenient cult that Bassianus was called "Elagabalus" by all. According to the historian Herodian, during the festival in honor of El-Gabal, the emperor as a priest had the statue of the god placed on a chariot of gold and precious stones and, with the help of white horses, led it forward on foot and holding the reins, as if the god himself were driving the chariot. The chariot was preceded by horsemen and soldiers during the procession, while the people threw garlands and flowers.
Condition: Extremely fine.
Weight: 2.94 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.