Julia Domna\'s Coinage and Severan Dynastic Propaganda

Julia Domna's Coinage and Seveřan Dynastic Propaganda (*)

- JuliaDomna, wifeof EmperorL. SeptimiusSeverus,was Introduction. born in the Roman provinceof Syria at Emesa (!). For twenty-five years she had a prominent positionin the Imperialcourtat Rome beginningwith her husband's accessionin 193 and lastinguntilher son Caracalla's reign was ended by his assassinationin 217. She was perhapsthe mostcelebrated of all Roman Imperialwomen,appearingin bothGreekand Latindedicatory and receivingmorehonorifictitlesthan any precedingfemaleof inscriptions the Imperialcourt.In the past, it has been arguedthatJulia's highprofile was the in Imperialmattersand her numerousappearancesin inscriptions resultof "orientalinfluence"and was especially"un-Roman"in character, but carefulcomparisonof her inscriptions, coins,and figurairepresentations withmaterialfromearlierImperialperiodshas shownthatJuliareceivedfew honorswhichcan be classifiedas trulyunusualor withoutprecedent.Those whichdid breaknew groundin Roman art and iconographywerethe result of Septimius'desireto promotehisfamilyas a newdynasty(2). SeptimiusSeveruswas proclaimedemperorby his troopsin April 193 and a battle began a marchfor Rome whichended in June. Withoutfighting is an expandedversion ofa paperwhichwasdelivered at the1991 (*) Thisarticle CAMWSmeeting heldinAprilat Hamilton, It wasdeveloped Ontario. fromresearch doneformyM. A. thesisentitled, ThePublicImageofJuliaDomnaand herRole in December1990,at theUniversity in SeveřanDynasticPropaganda of , completed Cincinnati underthedirection ofProf.C. BrianRose.Thecoinsdiscussed arethose issuedfromthemintof Rome.The chronology of typesfollowedhere,withthe of thedatefortheMater Avggtype,is thatestablished exception by R V. Hill inhispublications onthecoinageofSeptimius andhisfamily, hismonograph, notably TheCoinageofSeptimius Severus andHis FamilyoftheMintofRomeAD 193-217. forjournalsand standard Abbreviations references followtheguidelines published inAJA95,1991,p. 316.Alldatesmentioned areA.D. unlessotherwise noted. (1) G. Herzog,IuliaDomna, 566inRE, XIX,col.926-935; PIR2J663. articleon JuliaDomna and Seveřanpropaganda (2) Another recently appeared in Latomus: D. Baharal, The Portraits of JuliaDomnafromthe Years193-211 A.D. and theDynasticPropagandaof L. Septimius Severusin Latomus51, 1992, areAntonine elements p. 110-118.WhileMs.BaharalandI agreethatthere deliberately usedin Seveřanpropaganda, 1 disagreewiththearguments in herarticle.I do not herentire wishto recount thesishere.I agreethatJuliais madeto resemble Faustina Minorbutnotso muchinphysical as inother, (likeMs. Baharalbelieves) appearance farmoreimportant ways.

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Septimiustook controlof theempire.When Didius Julianuswas oustedand Septimiustook the Imperialthrone,Julia was given the titleAugusta(3). Amongthe earliestformsof visual propagandapromotingthe Seveřanrule werethetypesand legendsused on Imperialcoinage(4). Thereare sometwenty-five reversetypesassociatedwithor portraying Julia Domna between193 and 217. These reversetypesare associatedwithobverse typeswhichdepict a bust of Julia and occur with threedifferent legends to threeseparatechronologicalperiods.Her portraitaccompanied referring by the legendIvlia Domna Avg firstappearedon coins mintedin 194 and in 195and continuing until211,hertitleon thecoinage 195(Fig. 1). Beginning became simplyIvlia Avgvsta (5) (Fig. 2). This titleduplicatedthe nomen(3) E. Kettenhofen,Die syrischen Augustaein derhistorischen Überlieferung. e Occidente. Le fonti Bonn,1979,p. 78-79; F. Ghedini,GiuliaDomnatraOriente , Rome,1984,p. 17,n.44 ; M. Williams,StudiesintheLivesofRoman archeologiche : I. JuliaDomnainAJA6, 1902,p. 261.Kettenhofen believes thatDomina Empresses replacesthetitleAugustain at leastone case: CIL III, 7520.It also appearson a bilingual milestone butnotin theGreek. ( CIL III, 13689)in theLatinportion, HereKettenhofen faultsthestonecutter. It wouldseemmuchmorelikely, however, thatDominais simply a misspelling of Domna.- SincetheJulio-Claudian period, thetitleAugustawas as standard forthewomenoftheemperor's as thetitle family wasfortheemperor himself. NotallImperial women wereAugustae. Priorto Augustus JuliaDomnathefollowing wereofficially calledAugusta: Livia,Antonia Maior,Agripof Vitellius), JuliaTiti,Domitia Minor,Sextilia(themother pinaMaior,Agrippina of Vespasianwhowas granted thetitletwenty Longina,FlaviaDomitilla(daughter yearsafterherdeath),Plotina,Marciana,Sabina,FaustinaMaior,FaustinaMinor, FlaviaTitiana(Pertinax's andDidia Lucilla,Bruttia Crispina, wife),ManliaScantilla, Clara.Thefinaltwowerethewifeanddaughter, ofDidiusJulianus. See respectively, H. Temporini, Die Frauenam HofeTrajans , Berlin, 1978,p. 27-35. howpersuasive coinimageswouldhavebeen (4) Somescholarshavequestioned inRomansociety. as vehicles forpropaganda Fora discussion ofthearguments about thepersuasive seethearticle powerofImperial coinage, byG. A. Crump,Coinageand in TheCraftoftheAncient : Essaysin Honorof Chester Historian Imperial Thought G. Starr , eds.J. W Eadie and J. Ober, 1985,p. 425-441.It is obvious,however, thatdecisionshad to be madeconcerning whattitles,portraits, and reverse types wereto be combined. To whomthisresponsibility fellis notclearfromtheevidence thelogicalconclusion is thattheemperor musthaveparticipated ; however, surviving in approving cointypesforissue.C. H. V. Sutherland has studiedthequestionof the authority of the emperorin the mintduringthe Julio-Claudian period.See TheEmperor and theCoinage , London,1976,p. 1-33andp. 96-121.He particularly, thatafterthecivilwarsof68-69Imperial concludes : "By coinagebecamesystematic thistimetheimperial thechoiceof types,was securely monetary system, including included of an entrenched civilservice" amongtheresponsibilities (p. 121).See also hismorerecentarticle, or Complement ? Dr Levickon ImperialCoin Compliment inNC 146,1986,p. 85-93. Types extantLatininscription thistitlecomesfromPanhormus (5) The earliest bearing inSicilyandisdatedtotheyear195: CIL X, 7272.

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dature of Livia aftershe had been adopted into the gens Iulia through provisionsin Augustus'will(6). P. V. Hill proposed that coins havingthe firsttitleweremintedunderthe authorityof one of Septimius'officinaeon Julia'sbehalfand thatwhenAlbinusbrokefromSeptimiusin 195,hisofficina was assignedto Julia so thatthe Ivlia Avgvsta legendmarksthe startof coins issued underher authority (7). Her assumptionof the titleIvlia Pia Felix Avg in 211/212,afterthe death of her husband Septimiusand the accessionof her son Caracalla, markedthe finalperiod of her coin issues mintedup to theend of herson's reignin 217. The reversetypesused on Julia'scoinsprovidethemostusefulinformation herpublicimageas projectedbytheImperialcourt.As thesituation regarding withintheImperialhouseholdchanged,thetypesemployedon thecoinswere this.No doubt theseimageswereintendedto complement adjustedto reflect otherelementsof propagandaput forthby the emperor,and usuallythey would coincidewithhis own coin issues.The typesrangefromassociations withfemaledeities(Venus,Juno,Vesta) and personifications of appropriate of dynastic , Hilaritas, Pietas) to advertisements Imperialvirtues( Fecunditas harmonyand longevity ( ConcordiaAeternaand Aeternitas Imperi). AlthoughJulia'stitlesin the obverselegendsof her coins have been used to definethreechronologicalperiodsforher issues,if one examinesthe use of reversetypes,one can discernfivephases in her coinage.The firstphase includesthe earlyperiod of Septimius'reigndown to about 199. The years 200-202formthe secondphase whena major promotionalcampaignforthe dynastyand its hope in Caracalla and Geta seems to have been effected. The thirdphase, extendingover the years203-208,is one in whichJulia is on coins.That periodencompassedthetimeof Plautianus' poorlyrepresented ascendencyup to his death in 205. The fourthphase of Julia'scoinagefalls between209 and 212, the period of thejoint reignof Septimius,Caracalla, and Geta. DuringthisperiodJuliawas not onlywifeof an Augustusbutalso motherof twoAugusti.Lastly,thefifth phase markstheperiodof Caracalla's sole rule,212-217,whenJuliawieldedhergreatestpoweras empress. The firstphase : AD 194-199.- The issue of new coins was one of the first activities thatSeptimiusSeverusneededto undertake afterhisproclamation as emperorby the Pannonian troops. The Roman soldierswould expect in theeast, paymentfortheirloyalty,and withPescenniusNigerthreatening he would need the military the earliestcoin issues support.Not surprisingly, focus on legionarytypes,givingparticularattentionto those legionswhich

(6) Dio LVI,46,1-2. andHisFamily, AD 193Severus (7) Р.V.Hill, Noteson theCoinageofSeptimius 217inNC 4, 1979,p. 171.

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helpedplaceSeptimiusin power(8).The empressJuliaDomna does notappear on Imperialcoins fromthe mintof Rome until194,the yearfollowingher husband'sproclamation.These firstcoins pair her portraitand the legend Ivlia Domna Avg on the obversewiththe reversetypesof Fecvnditas, Venvs Genetrix (Fig. 3), and Venvs Victrix, all fairlystandardImperial themesused sincethetimeof JuliusCaesar (9). Priorto thereignof Hadrian, however,deitiesand Imperialvirtuesappeared primarilyon the emperor's coins. Hadrianportrayedhis wife,Sabina, on coins fromthe mintof Rome havingthe reversetypesVenvs Victrix (withoutlegend)and Venvs Genetrix (Fig. 4), thefirstuse of thesetypesin associationwitha femalemember of the Imperialfamily(10).The Fecvnditas typefirstoccurredon the coins of Faustinathe Youngermintedin the reignof Marcus Aurelius,honoring herupon thebirthof hersixthchildin 152(n). An attemptto linkJuliaDomna to both theelderand youngerFaustinas continuedthroughall of Julia'scoinagein thisfirstphase and intothebeginningof thesecond. Her coins for 195 employedthetypesIvno Regina and of"buying off'thepraetorian (8) Thedangerous precedent guardandoffering large donatives to theRomansoldiers wassetbyPertinax. After hisdeathduring a mutiny of thesoldiers, thepraetorian theImperialthroneat auctionto the guardoffered thelargestdonativeforthesoldiers.In bidder,i.e. theone who promised highest thiscase,thatmanwas DidiusJulianus. Suchwas thesituation inherited Septimius For thehistorical see Dio, BookLXXIVpassim. account, uponbecoming emperor. See also N. Hannestad,RomanArtand ImperialPolicy , Hojbjerg,1986,p. 249cointypes,BMCRE V, p. 20-23,nos.5-25,plate5.1-15; 257,and forthelegionary nos.469-471, p. 117-119, plate20.1,3. CaesarmadevowstoVenusVictrix before thebattleat Pharsalus, (9) Julius though thetemplehe laterbuiltwas to VenusGenetrix : Appian, ВС II, 68 and 102; R. romaine de Vénus Schilling,La religion , Paris,1954[1955],p. 305-307. (10) BMCRE III : VenvsVictrix,p. 356,nos.920 and 921,plate65.5; Venvs Genetrix,p. 360,nos.944-949, ; 538,nos.1883and 1884,plate99.4. plate65.19,20 TheVenusGenetrix forsculptural ofJulio-Claudian typehadbeenemployed portraits women: forexample, Liviaas VenusGenetrix intheRavennarelief : Schilling,[n.9], p. 341; H. Jucker,Die PrinzenaufdemAugustusReliefin Ravennain Mélanges d'histoire ancienne etd'archéologie à Paul Collari , Lausanne,1976,fig.1 ; and offerts AntoniaMinoras VenusGenetrix at Baiae: F. Zevi and B. Andreae, Gli scavi sottomarini di BaiainPP 37,1982,p. 142-148, fìg.10-11; H. Frost, TheNymphaeum at Baia in IntJNautA was 12,1983,p. 81,fig.1. The VenusGenetrix type,however, never usedinassociation withtheir coinportraits. (11) BMCRE IV: p. 398-399,nos.89-95,plate55.5,6; p. 530-531,nos.902-910, derFaustinaminorunddie plate73.1,2.See also K. Fittschen,Die Bildnistypen Fecunditas oftheFecvnditas , Göttingen, 1982,p. 22-33,fortheassociation Augustae - she is knownto have herfertility typewithFaustinatheYoungerhighlighting - as wellas othertypesreferring children to childbirth and givenbirthto thirteen suchas VenvsGenetrix,Ivno Lvcina,Laetitia, Pietas,Temporvm motherhood, Felicitas,andSaecvli Fecvnditas.

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Vesta, whichwas thereverseplaced on thecoinsusinghernew obversetitle, Ivlia Avgvsta (12).The Diana Lvcifera typefollowedin 196,witha Mater Castrorvm typeissuedin 197 in recognition of thetitle'sbestowalon Julia , (Figs. 5 and 6). On 14 April 195, she was grantedthe titlematercastrorum whichappearedin Greekinscriptions as prjzrjp Kàazpœv,firjzrjp azpazonéôœv, or jurjzr/p encounteredhonorary , and it is the mostfrequently azpazsvpàzœv titlefor Julia Domna(13). The awardingof this titleto Julia followeda precedentset by the Antonineempresses.Faustinathe Youngerwas thefirst woman honoredas Mater Castrorum , afterMarcus Aurelius'victoryover theQuadi in 174duringtheMarcomannicWars(14)(Fig. 7). BruttiaCrispina, the wife of Commodus, also held the title(15). The earliestepigraphical evidenceforJulia'suse of thistitle,dated between193 and 195,is fromthe Temple of Saturn at Thugga(16). By givingJulia thistitlein 195, the year of Septimius'"adoption"intotheAntoninehousehold,he createdfurther ties betweenhimself and hisproclaimedancestors(17). The year198broughttheuse ofthereversetypesHilaritas, Mater Devm (Cybele),Laetitia, and Ceres. ThesewereroundedoutwiththeVenvs Felix typein 199 and the Pvdicitia and Pietas Avg typesin 200. All of these reversetypeshad been mintedforthe Antoninewomen,fromFaustinathe Elder to Crispina(18).The reason for makingsuch an effortto tie Julia to theAntoninewomen,in particular to theFaustinas,can be foundin Septimius' ofthefirstfewyears. activities Septimiushad arrangedhis adoption into the Antoninehouseholdas a son of Marcus Aureliusin 195, and the contemporaneoususe on Julia's associatedwithAntoninewomenstrengcoinageof reversetypesspecifically thenedtheconnectionbetweentheAntonineand Seveřandynasties.Septimius wantedto establisha tie withthe earlierImperialtraditionwhichwould reinforcehisclaimto thethrone,and bylinkinghimselfand hisfamilymembers (12) See supra,p. 120-121. thatnearlytwothirds (13) Kettenhofen,op. cit.[n.3], p. 79-80.He calculates oftheknowninscriptions withJulia'snameincludethistitle.The dateofthetitle's bestowal wasestablished fromArsinoé, BGU, II, 362,XI, lines16-17. usinga papyrus (14) Dio LXXI, 10,5 ; SHA, MarcusXXVI,8. (15) Ghedini,od. cit.Гп.31,d. 7. (16) Kettenhofen,op. cit.[n.3], p. 81, citesCIL VIII, 26498,fragments 2-10, fromthesouthern sideoftheporticowhichrecords thethirdtribunate of Septimius and therefore a terminus antequemof December195,earlier givestheinscription thanthedateofinscriptions citedbyWilliams,op. cit.[n.3],p. 262. thatthe titlewas a way of (17) Kettenhofen,op. cit. [n.3], p. 80, suggests Juliaas the"legitimate successor ofFaustina". Atthetimeoftheadoption, portraying hiseldestson'snameto M. Aurelius Antoninus to reflect thenew Septimius changed family heritage. n.450-453. (18) Temporini, op. cit.[n.3],p. 102-103,

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witha past Imperialdynastywhich,untilCommodus,had endureda good he could gain thisand more(19).He would be a new Antoninus reputation, or Marcus Aurelius,and Julia would be a new Faustina: generous,loyal, and fecund,producingan Imperiallineagethatcould rule Rome long after Septimiushad died. The secondphase : AD 200-202.- The Imperiallineagebecamethefocus of much of the coinage mintedin the second phase between200 and 202. Justtwo yearsbeforethisCaracalla had been promotedto Augustuswhile his brotherGeta was appointedCaesar and in thenextyearbecamePontife x and PrincepsIuuentutis to Rome in 200 (20).Septimiusand hisfamilyreturned followingthe Parthianvictoryand a tourof Egypt,whereuponan extensive rebuilding programbegan in Rome. This was not unlikeAugustus'activities to the cityat the end of his war withAntony(21).The civil upon returning war and a firewhichoccurredin Commodus'reignhad caused damage that neededrepair(22).Amidstthis,a programof dynasticissueswas begunin the mint.Coins weremintedforeverymemberof theImperialfamily: Septimius, in 202, Caracalla'swife,Plautilla. Julia,Caracalla,Geta,and starting There appear to be fourareas of emphasisin Julia'scoinage duringthis as suggestedby the use of the reversetypes period.The firstis motherhood,

thatSeptimius' into (19) Hannestad,op. cit.[n.8], p. 252,remarks self-adoption theAntonine family gave himcontrolof all theirassetsleftafterthemurderof so thathisactioncan be seenas quiteshrewdbecauseit provided not Commodus, oftheAntonine namebutalsowealth. onlytheprestige Iuuentutis is foundon coinsdatedby Hillto theyears (20) The titleof Princeps 200-202 Severusand hisFamilyof theMint ; P.V.Hill, TheCoinageof Septimius London,1964,nos.458,458A,458B and 517; BMCRE V, of Rome,AD 193-217, nos.228-239, ; p. 242,no.440,plate38.17; p. 244,no.451, p. 198-199, plate32.13-16 nos.833and838,plate50.4,7. plate39.4; p. 318; p. 336-338, underIV, 19-21givesa listofbuilding (21) TheRes GestaeDiui Augusti projects takenbyAugustus hisreign. Itincludes bothnewandrestoration work. during itdestroyed or damagedis described (22) Thefireof 191alongwiththebuildings in Herodian I, 14,2-6.Archaeological evidence revealsthefollowing in structures Romewhichdate to Septimius' reignor haverepairworkof Seveřandate[page referto F. Coarelli, Roma (2nd ed., rev.),Rome,1981]: theArchof numbers AD 203,p. 56-57; theTempleofVespasian andTitus,p. 62 ; the Severus, Septimius whichJuliaDomnarestored, Templeof Vestaand theAtriumVestae, p. 81-83; the Pads, at whichtimetheFormaVrbis wasinstalled, ; theDomus Templům p. 119-121 oftheFlavianpalaceonthePalatine, Seueriana , andextension p. 145; theSeptizodium, Helenae ium,p. 174-175 ; the Thermae , p. 145; theCastraNoua EquitumSingular laternamedforHelena,mother ofConstantine, butpreviously restored byJuliaDomna, of L. NaeviusClemens, , p. 231-232;themagazines p. 242; the PorticusOctauiae sourcesgivethese p. 276-277; and the Pantheon, p. 292-295.In addition, literary works: SHA SeverusXIX, 5 and XXIV,3, theThermae Seuerianae and thePorta ofBacchusandHercules. ; andDio LXXVI,16,1,3,a temple Septimiana

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Venvs Genetrix, Mater Devm (Fig. 8), and Ceres as Ceres Frvgif[era]. Closely allied with this idea is that of femalevirtue,in which Julia was associatedwithpersonifications of Pvdicitia and Pietas, in theformsPietas Avgvsta and Pietas Pvblica. The thirdarea of emphasiscentersaround thegeneralnotionofdomesticharmonyand continuity oftheImperialhousehold,envisionedas Felicitas Saecvli, Aeternit[as] Imperi,and Concordia Aeterna. Finally,attentionwas focusedon individualfamilymembers, especiallythe heirsto the throne.In the last two areas, not all of the coins are strictly Julia Domna's issues. Sometimesshe appears on the reverseof coinsmintedforSeptimius,Caracalla,and Geta. Motherhoodwas a focusin theImperialfamilynotso muchfortheexample thatit could provideto the Roman people but ratherforthe heirsit could mother supplyto theImperialthrone(23).The portrait typeofVenusGenetrix, of Aeneas and legendarymatriarchof the gens Iulia, had been associated withImperialfemalessinceAugustus'time,thoughit was not used on coins of Imperial women until Hadrian's reign,as mentionedabove. Imperial made use of the Ceres typefromthe timeof theJulio-Claudians portraiture as well(24). The imageof Ceres carriedtheideal of fertility, sinceshe was an agrarian goddessof the harvest.She also conveyedan ideal exampleof motherhood and the maternalbond, as exhibitedin the mythabout the abductionof herdaughter, Proserpina(25).The associationof ImperialwomenwithCybele, or Magna Mater,also wentback to the reignof Augustus(26).The Mater Devm typemade its firstappearancein coinage on sestertiiof the deified Faustina the Elder mintedin 141 and the followingyearsduringthe reign of AntoninusPius (27)(Fig. 9). Mattingly information givesratherinconsistent (23) See S. Dixon, TheRomanMother , London,1988,chapter 4, on theImperial AbouttheroleofImperial womeninthis,shewrites : policyofencouraging maternity. "Thefunction of thesewomenwas dynastic rather thanexemplary. Theywerenot intended to inspire otherwomento becomemothers butto assuresubjects thatthe of newlyelevated Imperialregimewouldcontinue, just as posthumous portraits mothers served as reminders oftheir claimtothethrone" emperors' (p. 83-84). to theHistory (24) See M. Bieber,AncientCopies: Contributions of Greekand RomanArt, NewYork,1977,p. 167-170, fortheCerestypeusedtoportray fig.746-749, RomanImperial women.ForLiviaas CeresTyche: G. Caputo andG. Traversari, Le sculture delteatro di LeptisMagna, Rome,1976,cat.no.58,tav.54-55.Anexample ofLucillaportrayed as Cerescanbe foundin Carthage : A MosaicofAncient Tunisia , eds.AichaBenAbedBenKhader andDavidSoren, 1987,p. 205-206, no.72. V,391-571. (25) Ovid,Metamorphoses cameoof Liviaas Cybele,holdinga bustof Augustus : (26) Thereis a sardonyx W.-R.Megow,KameenvonAugustus bis Alexander Severus , Berlin,1987,p. 254, В 15,Tafel9.1-3. nos.1436-1441, (27) BMCRE IV, p. 232-233, plate34.4: thereverse legendreads Matri DevmSalvtari, S С inexergue, andthetypeis Cybeleenthroned.

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concerningthe appearanceof thistypeon the coins of the two Faustinas, but his interpretation of its use on the coins of Diva Faustinathe Elder as a symbolof her divinepositionseems acceptable(28). His evaluationof its functionon the coins of Faustina the Younger,on the otherhand, is less It appears more likelythat the typewas placed on her coins, satisfactory. as weremanyof thetypesemployed,to recallhermother,FaustinatheElder. This and severalothertypescontinuein use for Lucilla, the daughterof FaustinatheYounger.It seemsthatoncethetypewas established forFaustina the Elder,it became standardforotherAntoninewomen.In Julia'scase,it was perhapscirculatedas part of the imitationof Antonineimages,but it connections becauseofherSyrianbackground(29). mayalso haveheldreligious The reversetypeof Cybelewillreceivefurther discussionbelow. Personifications of virtueswerepopular typeson coinage throughout the Imperialera.Theywereusedwidelyon theemperor'sissuesand laterextended to thecoinsoffemalesin theImperialhousehold.Duringtheperiodofdynastic issues,Julia'scoinsextolledtwomainvirtues: pietas andpudicitia.Bothwere commonassociationsforImperialwomen,but thechoice of theseparticular virtuesis interesting in lightof the eventstakingplace in the empireat that time.Because Plautianushad gained such firmcontrolwithinthe Imperial householdby investigating Julia's activitiesand insinuatingthat she was involvedin adulterousbehavior(30),thePietas Avgvsta and Pvdicitia issues may have been intendedto do morethansimplyexpressthe Imperialviews on femalevirtue.They may well have been circulatedto assure the public (28) Mattingly seemingly forgotwhathe said abouttheCybeleissuefromone volumeto thenextwhenpreparing volumesIV, p. lxxxiii,and V, p. cxxxiii,of the BMCRE. He said thatJuliaDomna'scoinagereflected thefirstmajoruse of the use of it,it is not typein regular coinage.Whilehersmaybe thefirstsignificant thefirst ofthetypeon regular owncatalogue, appearance coinage.FromMattingly's onecaneasilyseethatthefirst occurrence oftheMatri Devmtypeis onDiva Faustina - during theElder'scoins- regular issuesestertii Antoninus' reign. thatwhen ВС, Plutarch, Marius17records (29) Attheendofthesecondcentury C. Mariuswasfighting he had a Syrianprophetess againsttheCimbriand Teutoni, namedMarthawithhim.The passagealso mentions thatthewar'soutcomewas accurately predicted bya certainBataces,a priestof CybelefromPessinus.A connection to Cybelecanbe foundperhaps in theSyriangoddessAllathwhowassometimesdepicted withlions,theattributes ofAtargatis-Astarte-Cybele fromwhomthey : H. Drijvers,TheReligions , Leiden,1976,p. 20. mayhavebeenborrowed ofPalmyra ThecultofCybelein general thesecondcentury AD. grewin popularity throughout K. Schillinger,Untersuchungen zurEntwicklung desMagnaMater-Kultes imWesten desrömischen Kaiserreiches , Diss. Konstanz, 1979,p. 8-11,tracestheMagnaMater cultin theEmpire.See also M. J. Vermaseren,Cybeleand Attis: TheMythand theCult, London,1977,p. 38-70,on CybeleinRome,Italy,andSicily. Severus. TheAfrican rev.ed. (30) Dio LXXV,15,6 ; A. Birley,Septimius Emperor, Yale,1988,p. 137-138.

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of Julia's morallyuprightimage and to help counterPlautianus'negative about her. publicity thethirdgroupof coin typeswhichfocuson domesticharmony Similarly, could have helped projecta more favorableimage of Julia. and continuity Theirprimaryfunction, however,was to promotea beliefin thesecurityand oftheImperialfamilyand itssuccession.Theywereissuedto reassure stability the Roman people thatthe struggles followingCommodus'death wereover and thatthe new "Antonine"fatherand son, Septimiusand Caracalla, were to theempire.A new age was beginpreparedto bringpeace and prosperity ning,or suchwas themessage,and twoyearslatera celebrationoftheSecular Gameswouldfurther emphasizethis. Of the threecoin typesbringingthismessageto the people of Rome, two appear onlyin thisperiod: Concordia Aeterna and Aeternit[as] ImpeConcordiahad beenin use on thecoinsof Imperial ri (31).The personification womensince the reignof Titus but always as Concordia or Concordia ofthedynasty's Avg/avgvst[a] (32).The eternalharmonyand theperpetuation oftrendsbegunduring reignnow invokedmayhavebeena naturaloutgrowth Hadrian'sreign,whenImperialpropagandarenewedthenotionof theSaeculum AureumfromtheAugustanage and includedwithit theideas of Aeternitas, Felicitas, and Tranquillitas (33).The choiceofthemesdealingwitheternal or cyclicaltime to advertisedynasticstabilityand assure the public of its (31) BMCREV : Concordiae Aeternae,p. 185,196,and204,no.260,plate33.8; p. 207,no.275,plate33.17; p. 233,no.389,plate37.11.Aeternit[as]Imperi,p. 157158,nos.16,plate27.13. (32) JuliaTiti: BMCRE II, p. 279and350.Domitia: BMCRE II, p. 311,nos.60-61, nos.894-907, plate61.4.5; p. 350,no.249,plate67.17.Sabina: BMCRE III, p. 353-355, ; p. 535-536,nos.1861-1868, ; p. 358-359,nos.929-935,plate65.12-15 plate64.12-18 nos.1887-1893, plate99.5,6, 11,12.FaustinatheElder: plate98.13,14; p. 538-539, BMCRE IV, p. 171-172,nos. 114-115;p. 173-174,nos.1125-1127, plate 25.2,3. FaustinatheYounger:BMCRE IV, p. 159,nos.1041-1042;p. 163,nos.1078-1081, 1 ; p. 376,nos.2166-2167, nos.1084-1090, plate52.6; plate23.8-1 plate23.6; p. 164-165, nos.968nos.2173-2176, plate52.7-8; p. 397,no.85,plate55.2; p. 538-539, p. 377-378, plate58.12; p. 430, 971,plate74.7.Lucilla: BMCRE IV, p. 426-427,nos.303-307, nos.332-335, plate76.13; p. 573,no. 1182, plate59.1,2; p. 568-569,nos.1140-1142, plate 77.4; p. 578, no. 1214,plate 78.1 Crispina:BMCRE IV, p. 693, no.29, plate91.16; p. 695,nos.36-38,plate91.20; p. 765,nos.406-410,plate102.3; p. 768, no.427,plate102.9. eachsuccessive AD andintothethird, inthesecondcentury emperor (33) Beginning for ofa new"GoldenAge",responsible as thefounder appearsto haveseenhimself broadcasts thisidea and peaceoftheRomanworld.The propaganda theprosperity abovein thetextas wellas Saecvlvm Frvgifervm, usingthelegendsmentioned theRomanuseof intracing andHilaritas Temporis.F. Gury, Felicitas Temporis, ontheemperors' ofAiœv a youthful time, , eternal givesa fulldiscussion personification in their withAiœvas Aeternitas use of thesaeculumaureumthemein connection du motifin : F. Gury,Aiônjuvenileet l'anneauzodiacal: l'apparition propaganda MEFRA 96,1984,p. 7-28.

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continuation is logicalbecause theyemphasizethelongevity of the dynasty's it somewhat and as divine. reign present The coins mintedby Septimiuswiththetwo aforementioned legendseach three of The Imperi the four members. family Aeternit[as] (Fig. 10), portray whichwas mintedwithan obverseofJulia,appearswithtwodifferent reverse the other with : one busts of Caracalla and Geta, showing Septimiusand types Caracalla. A coin withCaracalla's obversebears the Concordia Aeterna reversewhich is accompaniedby jugate portraitbusts of Septimiusand Julia(34)(Fig. 11). The emperorand his wifewear emblemsof the sun and and the cycle of time. He has a radiatecrown moon, symbolsof eternity whileherbustis adornedwitha lunatediademand restson a crescent. The thirdcoin typein this group,Saecvli Felicitas, occurredin two different forms,one used for Septimius'coins,the otherforJulia's.On the coinsissuedforJulia,thelegendwas Saecvli Felicitas, and thetypeshowed Isis holdingher son, Horus, and restingher leftfoot on a ship's prow with its rudderbehindher(35) (Fig. 12). Septimius'issues,however,employeda different completely type.The legendread Felicitas Saecvli and appeared withthebustsof Julia,Caracalla,and Geta (36)(Fig. 13). Julia'sfrontalbust is placed betweenthose of her sons. To the leftof her is Caracalla and to therightis Geta. This coin recallsa denariusissuedby theemperorAugustus in 13 ВС (Fig. 14). The obverse,withthe simplelegendAvgvstvs, has a bust of Augustus,head г., witha lituusin the fieldbehindit to the left. Its reversehas threeportraitbusts,all facingright: in the center,Julia,the identified as hersons, daughterof Augustus,withbuststhathavetraditionally Gaius (right)and Lucius(left).Thereis a coronaciuicaabove Julia'shead (37). Recentlyit has been arguedthatthe bustsflankingJuliaportraynot Gaius and Lucius,but ratherAugustusand Agrippa(38).If one acceptsthisinter(34) Thisis thefirst exampleofa jugatetypeforhusbandandwifefromthemint fromEphesoshasjugateportraits ofRome.A Claudiancistophorus ofClaudiusand : RIC (тс'. ed.,1984),p. 130,no. 119,plate17.Neroandhismother AgripAgrippina injugateportraits : BMCRE I, p. 201,nos.7-8,plate38.4,5. Facing pinahadappeared of someHadrianic bustsof Trajanand hiswifePlotinawereplacedon thereverse coinswiththelegendDivisParentibvs: BMCRE III, p. 318,no.603,plate59.3. (35) BMCRE V,p. 203,no.255,plate33.6; p. 231,no.379,plate37.5. nos.75-82,plate28.18; p. 310. (36) BMCRE V,p. 166-167, no. BMCRE I, 21, 106, (37) p. plate4, no.3. See also V. Scrinari,Le donnedei whocomSeverinellamonetazione p. 117-119, dell'epocain BullCom75, 1953-1955, paredthesecoins. foridentifying thesebustsas Augustus (38) С. В. Rosemadea convincing argument in Rome in a lecture andAgrippa Academy givenon 27 April1992at theAmerican and thatGaius do notlook likechildren (Italy).He pointsoutthattheseportraits at thetimethis and Luciuswouldhavebeenonly7 and 4 yearsold,respectively, coinwasissued.

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pretationof the portraits,the Augustanand Seveřan coins can no longer be viewedas exact parallels.Both coins,however,placed a strongemphasis on familyconnectionsas well as makingeitherimpliedor directreference to the designatedheirsto the Imperialthrone.The motherswere included in the coin typesbecause theyprovidedthe link betweenthe emperorand hisheirsin each case. The lastcoin typesto be discussedfromthisdynasticphase are thosewhich have a portraitof one familymemberon the obverseand anotheron the in conjunction reverse withtheirtitles.No personifications occuron thesecoins. Obversesof Juliaweremintedwithreversesof bothhersons. Geta's bustand thelegend,P Sept Geta Caes Pont, appearon Julia'scoins onlyin 201 (39). Reversetypesof Caracalla,on theotherhand,wereissuedovertheyears201 and 202. The firstof his reversetypeshad thelegend,Antoninvs Avg Pont Tr P IIII, withhis bust(40). Finally,a bust of Julia and the legendIvlia Avgvsta were placed on the reverseof some denariiand aurei mintedby Septimius(41). His portraitbust adornedthe obversewitheitherthe legend Severvs Avg Part Max or Severvs Pivs Avg, in whichcase his portrait also includeda lion skin.These coins servedto publicizethe Imperialfamily and theirnewlygainedpositions,such as Septimius'Parthicustitlebestowed forhis recentvictories,Caracalla's promotionto Augustus , and Geta's new rankas Caesar.Duringthisperiodofdynasticcoinagethedecisionsaboutcoin seem to have been influenced certain representations by a desireto highlight of the character of the and his wife or to to aspects emperor giverecognition membersoftheImperialfamily, to the heirs to the throne. especially potential Dynasticemphasisin the coinage taperedoffafter202, but not before Plautianussoughteven strongerties to the Imperialfamilyby marrying his Plautilla to Caracalla that same Their was daughter year(42). marriage commemorated in thecoinage(43).The arrangement was unpleasantnot only to Caracalla but to Julia as well who foundherselfpushed furtherout of

(39) BMCRE V,p. 165,nos.60-61,plate28.11-12. wereusedwithhisportrait thesetwoyears: Anto(40) Threeotherlegends during ninvsAvgvstvs; Antoninvs PivsAvg; andAntoninPivsAvgPon Tr - Hill, op. cit.[n.20],nos.504,505,567,568,and605; BMCREN, p. 158,nos.7-9,plate27.4-5. (41) BMCRE V,p. 192,nos.192-193, ; p. 219,no.342,plate35.18. plate31.16-17 Hill, op. cit.[n.20],nos.495and503. (42) A. Stein,Plautilla.117in RE, XIII, 1910,col.285-288; PIR2F 564.Marriage ofCaracallaand Plautilla: Dio LXXVII, 1,2; SHA, Seu. XIV,8 ; Herodian,III, 10,5-7. 627.BMCRE V - Concordia Aeterna : (43) Hill, op. cit.[п. 20],nos.610-622, p. 233,no.390,plate37.12; Propago Imperi: p. 235,nos.400-404, plates37.19and 38.2-3; Concordia Felix : p. 237,nos.418-419, plate38.7.

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the picturebecause Plautianuspossessedeven greaterinfluencethan he had before. The thirdphase : AD 203-208.- The coinageissuedovertheperiod203208, the thirdphase, reflectsJulia's secondaryplace withinthe Imperial householdresulting fromPlautianus'close associationwithSeptimius.While thereis no definitive evidencethatPlautianuspreventedthemintingof coins whichhonoredJulia,her coin issues beforehis fall frompowerin 205 are decidedlysparse,especiallyin the earlyyearsof this phase. No more than threecoin typesappeared in any givenyear of this period,and only two newtypeswereissued.At leastone of themand possiblybothwerecirculated afterPlautianus'deathin 205 Í44).His downfallwas due in partto thedeathbed of Septimius'brother, P. SeptimiusGeta. Withhistruemotivations testimony and plots revealed,Plautianuswas executed,and Caracalla took advantage of the situationto rid himselfof his unwantedwife.Plautillawas banished to Lipara. Yet thesethingsdid not make lifealtogetherpleasantfor Julia. A growingantagonismarose betweenhersons,Caracalla and Geta, a rivalry whichwouldprovedeadly(45). The salvationof the ImperialfamilyfromPlautianus'insidiousplot was commemorated bothin theEast and in NorthAfricanprovinces.At Ephesos, a bilingualinscription recordsthegiftof a freedmannamed Helico "because visible our lords,Severusand Antoninus,Pii Augusti,and by clear, foresight Geta Caesar alongwithJuliaAugustahave absolutelydestroyed theparricidal aspirationsof the conspirators" i46).In Numidia,a dedicationwas made to deathtookplaceat thetime (44) Dio saysthattheeventsleadingto Plautianus' ofa feasthonoring thedeadancestors thatthisfestival (LXXVI,3, 3). It seemslikely wouldhavebeentheParentalia celebrated in mid-February : H. J. Rose, Parentalia , in OCD, 2nd.ed.,1970,p. 781. If so, thenhe droppedout of thepicture earlyin theyear205,andbothcoinissuescouldeasilyhavecomeafter hisdemise. (45) Dio LXXVI,2, 46, 3 ; Herodian III, 11,4-12,12; Birley,op. cit.[n.30], ; M. Plautner, The Lifeand Reignof theEmperorLuciusSeptimius p. 161-163 Severus , Oxford, 1918,p. 132-133. (46) ILS I, 430= CIL III, 427= CIG 2971: quodeuidenti in[lustrique proui] dentiadomini Seuerus n[ostri et] Antoninus PiiAu[gusti et Geta Caesar ' cum[IuliaAugubiuisspes] sustulerunt parricidiales insid[iatorum ] Helicolibertus eorum donum[posuit тfjç]èvapyeoTáTrjç reoi Kvpioi' "Or]/ (%iàzfjçéavzœv npovoíaç £7iip[avEGTáTrjç каг'А''тcoveïvoç oiEvoeßso^mioi rœvaôzoKparôpœv fjfiœv Leovfjpoç [кагrézaç Колаарoòv' 'IovXía Zeßaazfjnavra[xoî) ràç rœvâvooiœv rœvr¡