Aureus - Caracalla (P M TR P XVIIII COS IIII P P; Serapis) (216) front Aureus - Caracalla (P M TR P XVIIII COS IIII P P; Serapis) (216) back
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Aureus - Caracalla P M TR P XVIIII COS IIII P P; Serapis

216 year
Gold - -
Description
Issuer
Rome › Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD)
Emperor
Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Caracalla) (198-217)
Type
Standard circulation coin
Year
216
Value
Aureus (25⁄2)
Currency
Antoninianus, Reform of Caracalla (AD 215 – 301)
Composition
Gold
Shape
Round (irregular)
Technique
Hammered
Demonetized
Yes
Updated
2024-10-05
References
Numista
N#273453
Rarity index
100%

Reverse

Serapis, wearing polos on head, standing front, head left, raising right hand and holding transverse sceptre in left hand.

Script: Latin

Lettering: P M TR P XVIIII COS IIII P P

Translation:
Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Undevicesima, Consul Quartum, Pater Patriae.
High priest, holder of tribunician power for the 19th time, consul for the fourth time, father of the nation.

Comment

Source:
Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE)

Interesting fact

One interesting fact about the Aureus - Caracalla coin is that it features the image of Serapis, a deity who was worshipped in the Roman Empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Serapis was a syncretization of the Egyptian god Osiris and the Greek god Hades, and was often depicted with a modius, a grain measure, on his head, which symbolized his role as a god of fertility and agriculture. The inclusion of Serapis on the coin highlights the cultural exchange and blending of religions that occurred during the Roman Empire.