Lucius Verus AD 161-169. Rome
Denarius AR

19 mm, 3,31 g

L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate head right / TR P VI IMP IIII COS II, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and cornucopiae; PAX in exergue.

Good Very Fine

RIC 561(Aurelius); BMCRE 426 (Aurelius and Verus); RSC 126.

Lucius Verus, born Lucius Ceionius Commodus in AD 130, was a Roman emperor who co-ruled with his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius from AD 161 until his death in AD 169. He was the first emperor to share power equally with another, marking a significant moment in Roman history. Lucius Verus came from a noble family and was adopted by Emperor Antoninus Pius as part of a succession plan devised by Emperor Hadrian. This plan included the adoption of both Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius, who were intended to jointly inherit the throne. When Antoninus Pius died in AD 161, the succession proceeded smoothly, and both Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius were proclaimed emperors. Despite their shared rule, Marcus Aurelius was the more dominant figure, with Lucius Verus often seen as the junior partner. However, Lucius Verus played an important role in military affairs. Shortly after they ascended to power, the Roman Empire faced a significant threat from the Parthian Empire in the East. Lucius Verus was sent to oversee the military campaign, which successfully repelled the Parthians and brought glory to Rome. Although he was not personally a military leader, he took credit for the victories achieved by his generals. Lucius Verus was known for his luxurious lifestyle, which contrasted with Marcus Aurelius’s more austere and philosophical nature. He enjoyed the pleasures of court life, including lavish banquets and the theater, and was criticized by some contemporaries for his indulgences. Nevertheless, his reign, alongside Marcus Aurelius, was marked by relative peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire. In AD 169, Lucius Verus died suddenly, possibly from an outbreak of plague that had spread throughout the empire after the return of troops from the Eastern campaigns. His death left Marcus Aurelius as the sole ruler, and Lucius Verus was deified, honored with divine status as "Divus Verus." Despite his relatively short reign, Lucius Verus is remembered as part of a unique period in Roman history when two emperors ruled together in a cooperative manner, an arrangement that helped maintain stability during their joint rule.