Septimius Severus, 193 – 211
Aureus 194, AV 19 mm, 7.36 g. L SEPT SEV PE – RT AVG IMP III Laureate head r. Rev. DIS AVSP – ICI B – TR P II Hercules, on l., standing r., holding club and lion's skin, and Bacchus, on r., standing l., holding oenochoe over panther and thyrsus; in exergue, COS II P P. C 114. BMC 63. RIC 31. Calicó 2446a (this obverse die). Very rare. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex Gilhofer/Rauschburg-Hess 22 May 1935, Trau, 2002; M&M-Leu 02 November 1967, Niggeler, 1378; Leu 30, 1982, 401 and Tkalec 22 April 2007, 247 sales.

Graded Ch AU Strike 5/5 Surface 4/5, NCG certification number 6827745-008

Struck in A.D. 194 shortly before Septimius Severus left to confront the pretender Pescennius Niger in the East, the reverse of this lovely gold aureus depicts the demi-gods Hercules and Liber (Bacchus), the patron deities of the emperor's hometown of Leptis Magna, a seaside city with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. The legend calls on the divine heralds (Dis Auspicibus) to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity for the Roman world of the Severan dynasty. Septimius favored his hometown, spending magnificent sums on a lavish revitalization program. He built a new forum, docks, a basilica, and a monumental triumphal arch amongst other structures, and the city prospered greatly due to his attention. This prosperity did not last long, however; within just a few decades after his reign the city had been partially abandoned. Fortunately for the visitor today, the ruins have survived the ravages of time remarkably well: the site today presents us with one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins throughout the Mediterranean world.