Julia Maesa Elagabalus and Alexander Severus Grandmother Ancient Coins
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Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Julia Maesa - Grandmother of Roman Emperors
Elagbalus & Severus Alexander -
Silver Denarius Rome mint 218-222 A.D.
Reference: RIC 268 (Elagabalus), BMC 76 (Elagabalus), S 7756, C 36
IVLIAMAESAAVG - Draped bust right.
PVDICITIA - Pudicitia seated left, pulling veil and holding scepter.
PVDICITIA AVGustæ - This form of legend by which the attributes of
deified modesty are more closely identified with the person of the
Empress than they are in previously cited instances, appears with the
usual type of a veiled woman, on coins of Roman empresses.
Julia Maesa (7
May ca. 165
AD–ca.
3 August
224) was a
Roman citizen and daughter of
Julius Bassianus, priest of the sun god
Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa
(modern
Homs) in the
Roman province of
Syria. Grandmother of both the
Roman emperors
Elagabalus and
Alexander Severus, she figured
prominently in the ascension of each to the title at the age of
fourteen.
Like her younger sister
Julia Domna, she was among the most
important women to exercise power behind the throne in the
Roman empire.
Julia Maesa was married to Syrian noble
Julius Avitus and had two daughters
Julia Soaemias and
Julia Avita Mamaea each one mother of
an emperor. Following the accession to the throne of her brother in law
Septimius Severus, Julia Maesa moved to
Rome to live with her sister. After the murder of her nephew, the
emperor
Caracalla, and the suicide of Julia
Domna, she was compelled to return to Syria. But the new emperor
Macrinus did not proscribe her and
allowed her to keep her money.
Once back in Syria and possessed of ample funds,
Maesa engaged in a plot to overthrow Macrinus and place one of her
grandsons,
Elagabalus son of Julia Soaemias, in
his place. In order to legitimise this pretension, mother and daughter
fomented the rumor that the 14 year old boy was Caracalla's illegitimate
son. The two Julias were successful, mainly due to the fact that
Macrinus was of an obscure origin without the proper political
connections, and Elagabalus became emperor.
For her loyalty and support, Elagabalus honored Julia
Maesa with the title Augusta avia Augusti (Augusta,
grandmother of Augustus). When the teenager proved to be a disaster as
emperor scorning Roman values with both religious and sexual scandals
(even taking the liberty of marrying a
Vestal virgin among a rumored five
wives during his brief four years reign), Julia Maesa decided to promote
instead her fourteen year-old grandson
Alexander Severus.
She convinced Elagabalus to adopt Alexander as his
heir and he was murdered shortly afterwards by the
praetorian guard alongside his mother,
both being thrown into the
Tiber river in contempt after being
dragged from the palace and through the streets, when a rumor circulated
that Alexander had died.
Julia Maesa died in an uncertain date around 226 and
like her sister Domna before her, was deified.
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