Elagabalus (AD 218-222). AR denarius (19mm, 3.08 gm, 6h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5, brushed. Rome, AD 221. IMP ANTONINVS-PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, and draped bust of Elagabalus right, seen from front / P M TR P IIII COS III P P, Elagabalus standing facing, head left, sacrificing from patera in right hand over lighted altar to left, club cradled in left arm; star in left field. RIC IV.II 46. Elagabalus, the posthumous nickname for Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, was emperor at fourteen years old and died at eighteen. Despite his short tenure, rumors abound about his lifestyle as a teenage emperor. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, spread rumors that he was the son of Caracalla, a rumor supposedly confirmed by his mother, Julia Soaemias, and Cassius Dio recounts that the young ruler had four wives, including a Vestal Virgin, and male courtiers who were rumored to be his lovers. He brought the Stone of Emesa to Rome, as is featured on some issues of his coinage, which was a religiously controversial decision. When he fell out of favor, his mother and grandmother orchestrated for him to take Severus Alexander as his heir, which he unsuccessfully tried to undo. When he attempted an overreach of political violence, members of the Praetorian Guard killed Elagabalus and his mother, Julia Soaemias, and dragged their bodies through the streets. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

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