Septimius Severus (AD 193-211). AV aureus (19mm, 7.27 gm, 11h). NGC AU S 5/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 194. L•SEPT•SEV•PE-RT•AVG IMP III, laureate head of Septimius Severus right / DIS AVSPICIB TR-P•II•, Hercules (on left), nude, standing facing, head left, right hand resting on grounded club, apple in left hand, lion skin draped over left arm, and Bacchus (on right), nude, standing facing, head left, grounded thyrsus in left hand, oinochoe in right hand over panther crouched left in center; COS II P P in exergue. RIC IV.I 31. Calicó 2446. Attractive composition reverse. Perfectly centered on lustrous flan, with areas of light orange toning. Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XII (6 January 2009), lot 663 L. Septimius Severus was the first Roman emperor of African origins, and this aureus type makes an oblique reference to his background. Struck in AD 194, the reverse depicts the demigods Hercules and Bacchus, both patron deities of the emperor's hometown of Leptis Magna, on the North African coast. Severus greatly favored his native province and his hometown in particular. The impact of his generosity, in the form of a massive building campaign, can still be seen in the city's well-preserved ruins today. Hercules and Bacchus were also known as the "Divine Heralds" (Dis Auspicibus), who mediated between humankind and the Olympian deities, and are so named in the legend.

HID09801242017

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