From:NHerts

Name/TitleBroken base denarius of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus III (Elagabalus)

About this objectA broken base denarius of Elagabalus (204-222, Emperor under the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus from 218) in their third year of rule and third consulship (AD 220). The breakage appear to be deliberate, performed by snapping off two parts of the coin to the left of the Emperor’s bust, thus removing part of the name. A lump visible on the reverse and corresponding small-scale damage on the obverse may have been caused by holding the coin in pliers while snapping off the two pieces. This was probably a result of the damnatio memoriae performed on the Emperor following their assassination. It is interesting, and perhaps significant, that the clipping has avoided damaging the Emperor’s portrait. Did the defacer of the coin have too much respect for the person of Elagabalus to deface their image?

The Emperor was long regarded as mad and one of the worst Roman emperors, but is perhaps now best thought of as a transgender teen, who referred to themselves as ‘lady’ (κυρία) and ‘queen’ (βασιλίς). The Roman world did not have a transgender category, but the phenomenon of those assigned male at birth transitioning to female to become priestesses of Cybele is well known. Elagabalus’s attempt to replace the traditional worship of Jupiter and other gods with that of Elagabal together with the machinations of their aunt led to their assassination in 222. Later stories made claims about the Emperor’s brutality and capriciousness that are most likely politically inspired and designed to denigrate their memory. Born Varius Avitus Bassianus and ruling as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the Emperor is better known by the nickname Elagabalus (or Heliogabalus), which was applied postumously as an insult to highlight their devotion to a despised ‘foreign’ god.

The obverse shows a laureate draped bust of the emperor facing right, while the reverse shows Sol, radiate, walking left raising his right hand and holding a whip, emphasising the Emperor’s role as high priest of Elagabal (ِلَجبَهُ الِْٰلإ), a Syrian solar deity.

Date MadeAD 220

PeriodRoman (AD 43-411)

Medium and MaterialsMetal | Copper Alloy

MeasurementsOriginal diameter 17.6 mm, but reduced by apparently deliberate snapping in two places to 14.9 mm in one dimension; 1.9 mm thick.

Named CollectionLetchworth Museum

Credit LineW Hart

Object TypeCoin

Object number1932.6282

Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved