Item number: A1873

Year: AD 218-222

Material: Silver

Size: 15.3 x 15.3 mm

Weight: 2.22 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a silver denarius minted between AD 218 and AD 222 during the reign of Elagabalus, the first Roman emperor of Eastern provincial origin.

The coin exhibits noticeable wear on both the obverse and reverse, making the details and inscriptions somewhat difficult to discern. The obverse features a right-facing portrait of Emperor Elagabalus, adorned with a laurel wreath and ribbons. Surrounding the portrait is the Latin inscription “IMP ANTONINVS AVG,” which represents the emperor’s title and name, translating to “Imperator Antoninus Augustus.”

The reverse of the coin features the Roman grain goddess Annona, depicted facing left. She holds a bundle of wheat ears in each hand, symbolising agricultural prosperity. At the lower left, a cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) is present, further emphasising abundance and fertility. Surrounding the goddess is a Latin inscription, accompanied by a beaded border as an ornamental element.

In AD 217, Roman Emperor Caracalla was assassinated by his own troops during his campaign against the Parthian Empire. His successor, Macrinus, sought to stabilise the situation by negotiating peace with the Parthians and withdrawing the army, a decision that led to widespread dissatisfaction among the soldiers.

Seizing this opportunity, Julia Maesa, the sister of the former Empress Dowager and eager to restore her family’s influence in the imperial court, presented her grandson Elagabalus as Caracalla’s illegitimate son. Gaining the support of discontented troops, she orchestrated a rebellion against Macrinus. The uprising ultimately succeeded, securing Elagabalus’ ascent to the imperial throne.

However, after ascending to the throne at the age of 15, Elagabalus showed little interest in governing and instead indulged in a life of excess and debauchery. One of his most infamous acts was allegedly showering an overwhelming amount of flower petals at a banquet, suffocating some of the guests. He also reportedly released lions into the banquet hall while his attendees were intoxicated.

In his private life, Elagabalus was notorious for his extreme pursuit of both male and female beauty. He was said to have taken great pleasure in cross-dressing and even disguised himself as a prostitute, allegedly working in a brothel to entertain clients.

Elagabalus’ increasingly erratic behaviour and debauchery led to a rapid decline in his popularity. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, recognising the growing discontent, sought to elevate the status of his cousin, Alexander Severus, securing the support of the military leadership in the process.

In March AD 222, Elagabalus attempted to test the loyalty of the army by spreading false news of Alexander’s death. However, this move backfired spectacularly, as the enraged soldiers gathered at the imperial palace, demanding vengeance for Alexander. Forced into a corner, Elagabalus reluctantly presented Alexander alive to quell the unrest.

Following this incident, Elagabalus sought to punish the officers leading the mutiny, but the military, having already secured Julia Maesa’s approval, acted first. The emperor was assassinated, his corpse dragged through the streets, and ultimately thrown into the Tiber River. With Elagabalus dead, the army proclaimed Alexander Severus as the new emperor.

物件編號: A1873

年代: 公元 218-222 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 15.3 x 15.3 mm

重量: 2.22 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元218至222年，羅馬歷史上第一位出身自東方行省的皇帝埃拉伽巴路斯在位期間鑄造的第納里烏斯銀幣。

錢幣正反兩面的磨損稍顯嚴重，使得細節和銘文的辨識有些困難。錢幣正面是頭戴桂冠花環和綵帶的皇帝埃拉伽巴路斯右側肖像，肖像周圍的拉丁銘文「IMP ANTONINVS AVG」是皇帝的頭銜和名字「皇帝暨奧古斯都 安東尼努斯」。

錢幣背面的中央是古羅馬信奉的穀物女神「安諾娜」形象，女神面朝左側，兩隻手各握著一把麥穗，左下角則有一個象徵豐收的「豐裕之角」圖騰。女神的周圍亦有拉丁銘文和珠點圍繞作為裝飾。

公元217年，羅馬皇帝卡拉卡拉在發動對安息帝國的戰爭中遭到部下刺殺，其繼位者馬克里努斯決定和安息簽訂和約並打道回府導致軍隊不滿。此時期待在羅馬宮廷中發揮更多影響力的尤利亞·瑪伊莎，即前皇太后的姊姊，帶著號稱是卡拉卡拉私生子的外孫埃拉伽巴路斯前往軍中，得到不滿新皇帝的軍隊支持發動叛亂，最終成功使埃拉伽巴路斯登上皇帝的寶座。

然而年僅15歲的埃拉伽巴路斯成為皇帝之後，無心於國政並且過上荒淫的生活，其最為出名的事蹟是在宴會上灑下大量的花瓣使得出席的宴客窒息，還有趁著宴客酒足飯飽之際將獅子放入會場內。同時在私生活上，埃拉伽巴路斯酷愛男色和美色，本人也曾經假扮為妓女在妓院接客。

埃拉伽巴路斯荒誕的事蹟使他漸失民心，其外祖母尤利亞·瑪伊莎看在眼中有意提高皇帝的表弟亞歷山大的地位，並且獲得將領們的支持。公元222年3月，埃拉伽巴路斯刻意放出亞歷山大的死訊以此測驗將領們的忠誠，然而令他意想不到的是軍隊齊聚於皇宮要替亞歷山大復仇，迫使埃拉伽巴路斯請出亞歷山大以此證明後者的安危。事後埃拉伽巴路斯意圖處罰帶頭的軍官，然而彼時將領私底下獲得尤利亞·瑪伊莎的許可，搶先殺害埃拉伽巴路斯並將其屍體擲入台伯河，並且擁護亞歷山大成為新皇帝。