Geta caesar, 198 – 209
Aureus 201, AV 21 mm, 7.23 g. P SEPT GETA – CAES PONT Bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. CONCORDIAE AETERNAE Jugate busts r. of Severus, radiate and draped, and Julia, diademed and draped, on crescent. C –. BMC p. 196 note*. RIC 7b. Calicó 2927 (this coin). Extremely rare and among the finest specimens known. Three portraits of exquisite style perfectly struck and centred on a full flan. Superb reddish tone, virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex Rollin & Feuardent 26-27 May 1909, Evans, 219; Leu 22, 1979, 308; Leu 93, 2005, Perfectionist, 73 and Maison Palombo, 17, 2018, 94 sales. From the Jameson and Biaggi collections. From the Karnak hoard.

This coin is illustrated in The Roman Aurei by X. E. Calicó

The Severans, not unlike previous emperors, often associated themselves with certain deities. In general terms Septimius Severus likened himself to Serapis, Caracalla to Hercules, and Geta to Bacchus. On this dynastic aureus we find entirely different associations: Septimius wears a radiate crown, equating himself with the sun-god Sol, and Domna's bust rests upon a crescent moon, equating her with the moon-goddess Luna, the celestial consort of Sol. Such imagery reinforces the long-held idea that the very nature of men and women is polar: night and day. This form of expression for that distinction extends through much of Roman coinage, especially later in the empire when double-denominations are indicated, in which case if it is a coin depicting a male, typically he wears a radiate crown, and if the coin bears the portrait of a female, her bust usually rests upon a crescent. The youthful portrait of Geta here depicts a young man around twelve years of age. He is bareheaded, denoting his rank as Caesar, and is depicted wearing a military cloak of a soldier of high rank over a protective cuirass, indicated by the pteruges at the shoulders. Severan propaganda was at pains to promote not only an image of a happy family sharing the responsibilities of rule, but also a dynasty capable of dealing with the military threats to the Roman Empire. In fact, Severus' aim was for his two sons to rule jointly after his death, assigning each with command responsibilities (Caracalla with military command, Geta with administrative command). As events turned out, however, the two boys detested one another and were incapable of ever working together, with Caracalla finally having Geta murdered in front of his mother.