Septimius Severus Denarius Laodicea Ad Mare Mint?

I think this is another of those 'there's not enough evidence' questions. So listing the mint as 'Syria' is the most accurate description.

Yes I think so. The location and number of mints in the region are unknown (outside Antioch and Cappadocia), and although style can group many coins together, that doesn't tell us which mint struck which coins and where.

It's a bit like the problem of Cologne and Trier in the Gallic Empire. We know there were mints in those locations. The styles of the coins differ and so it's thought the coins were struck in different locations. But we don't know which. The mints are given as 'unknown Gallic mint' or 'Cologne or Trier' (or even Milan).

I don't know if we can say if any other Syrian mints have those features, given we don't know which really came from where.

There are a lot of coins in that style for Julia Domna, but on Ocre they are all described as Laodicea, sometimes also Emisa. Some are in a different style but still attributed to Laodicea. Plautilla is only listed for Laodicea, always with the curl. The difference in the styles seems to be before and after 196. (The curl seems to be a clasp in Rome).

There are no other Severan women attributed to Laodicea or Emisa. Julia Mamaea has some given as 'Eastern Mint', which aren't in that style.

But who knows if they have all been attributed correctly.

There are a whole range of styles.

When we talk about what was referred to as "Emesa" we have a range of issues not just the COS II. These can generally be linked through reverse die links that cross over issues. I call these "Eastern COS issues" even though they are not all COS but the COS II issue is the bulk of the output. This mint is made up of the following obverse legend varieties.

The first issue is IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG with a small number of spelling variations such as PEPT for PERT. Generally dated to Late A.D. 193 into early A.D. 194.

What follows this issue and comes before the COS II issue is unclear. It is made up of a whole number of obverse legends variations before the mint settled on COS II as the obverse legend. I suspect that the issue that follows AVG is made up of a whole number of obverse legend variations which are contemporary with one another. The legends start with "IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG" but end with range of suffixes such as "II C", "II CO", "II COS", ". CO" and "CO II". There is a very limited number of dies comprising these.

I suspect that these are followed by the "COS I" issue, which is also quite small.

Then we move into the bulk of the issues from this mint, which is "COS II".

Most of the COS II coins have fairly consistent style and can be seen to be different from the "Eastern IMP II" known historically as "Laodicea-as-Mare" issue which is probably contemporary with the "COS II issues". The "IMP II" issue is significantly smaller than the "COS II" issue as a whole.

There are a few dies that have "COS II" legends that have a range of spelling errors that are more closely aligned in style to the "IMP II" issue. Dies studies might well help place these coins in their correct placing but I am not aware of anything published in this regard.

The "early Eastern IMP VIII" issue is larger than the "IMP II" issue and is assumed to follow on from the "IMP II" issue after a small time gap at the mint. There are not any reverse die links between the "IMP II" and "IMP VIII" issues. It should be noted that the issues identified as "IMP", "IMP I", "IMP VI" and "IMP VII" do not exist in these eastern issues and are misreading of coins where one of more Is break after the bust.

All the above are likely generally contemporary with Septimius Severus travelling in the east.

There is now a change in status of the mint and a significant change in style. These are then called the "New Style IMP VIII" and then the later issues. The mint seems to have now become a branch mint of the Rome mint. The reverses often now reflect the output of the mint in Rome.

The chronology for the new style is generally quite well understood and largely as follows.

L SEPT SEV PER AVG IMP VIII - A.D. 197
L SEPT SEV PER AVG IMP VIIII - A.D. 197
L SEP SEVERVS PER AVG PIV IMP XI PAR P M - A.D. 198
L SEP SEVERVS PER AVG P M IMP XI - A.D. 198
SEVERVS AVG PART MAX P M TR P VIIII - A.D. 201
L SEPT SEV AVG IMP XI PART MAX - A.D. 198-202
SEVERVS PIVS AVG - A.D. 202

Regards,
Martin

Hi Paul
Let me try and help out with some examples to illustrate some of what I outline above....

COS II coinage:-
AVG -

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG, Laureate head right
Rev:- BONI EVENTVS, Fides (Bonus Eventus - RIC) standing left holding basket of fruits in right hand, grain ears in left.
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194
Ref:- RIC 352 (Scarce). RSC 66



Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG, Laureate head right
Rev:- BONI EVENTVS II COS, Fides standing left holding plate of fruit and two wheat ears
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 193
Reference:- BMCRE -. RIC -. RSC -.



AVG II C

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG II C, Laureate head right
Rev:- BONETAE AVG (sic), Moneta standing left, holding scales in right hand, cornucopiae in left
Minted in Emesa, 194 - 195 A.D.
References:- RIC -. RSC -. BMC -.



AVG II CO

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG II CO, Laureate head right
Rev:- VICTOR IVST AVG, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, palm in left .
Minted in Emesa, Early A.D. 194
References:- RIC -, RSC -, BMCRE -.



II COS (as far as I am aware there are only three known examples form this obverse die)

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG II COS, Laureate head right
Rev:- FORTVNAE REDVCI II COS, Fortuna standing left holding rudder and cornucopia
Minted in Emesa, 194 - 195 A.D.
References:- RIC -. RSC -. BMC -.



. CO

Obv:- IMP CE L SEP SEV PERT AVG CO, Laureate head right
Rev:- BONI EVENTVC, Fides (sometimes referred to as Bonus Eventus) standing left holding basket of fruit and corn ears.
Minted in Emesa, Late A.D. 193 or Early A.D. 194
References:- RIC -, RSC -, BMCRE -.



CO II - I haven't seen any example yet

COS I

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SE - V PERT AVG COS I, Laureate head right
Rev:- FORTVNAE REDVCI, Fortuna (Pietas) standing left holding patera and cornucopia, sacrificing over altar
Minted in Emesa, A.D. 193
References:- RIC Page 139 (5) (Scarce)



COS II

Obv:- IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:- INVICTO IMP, Trophy with captured arms below
Minted in Emesa, A.D. 194 - 195
References:- RIC 389 (Scarce), RSC 232

IMP II

IMP - II (could be mis-read as IMP)

Obv:- L SEPT SEV PERET AVG IMP - II, Laureate head right
Rev:- INVICTO IMPER, Trophy with arms below
References:- RIC -. BMCRE-. RSC-.



IMP I-I (could be mis-read as IMP I)

Obv:- L SEPT SEV P-ERET AVG IMP I-I, Laureate head right
Rev:- FORT R-D-EVC, Fortuna standing left holding cornucopiae in each hand
Reference:- RIC -. RSC-. BMCRE -. No examples in the Reka-Devnia hoard



Standard IMP II

Obv:- L SEPT SEV P-ERTE AVG IMP II, Laureate head right
Rev:- FORT R-DEVC, Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopiae
References:- RIC -. RSC-. BMC W Page 108 * (citing Cohen 168 though Cohen 168 is PERT though the BMC coin is decribed as PERTE)



Early IMP VIII examples

Obv:- L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VIII, Laureate head right
Rev:- BON EVENT, Fides standing left holding basket of fruits in right hand, grain ears in left
Reference:- BMCRE 440 Note corr. (BON EVENT not BONI). RIC 467 corr. (S) (467 is IMP VII). Cohen 63 (citing Paris).

Evidently no examples of this reverse legend variety were seen by the authors of RIC or BMCRE as they both note the coin but cite Cohen 63 which evidently cites a misread obverse legend of VII likely being VII-I from Paris



Obv:- L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VII-I, Laureate head right
Rev:- ARAB ADIABENIC, Victory advancing left holding wreath and palm
Ref:- Cohen -, BMCRE -, RIC -.
Probably an early coin as the style is much more like the IMP II issues but that is entirely my supposition.

The reverse refers to victory over Niger. To hide the fact that this was a civil war, it is phrased as victory over Arabs and Adiabenians, who aided Niger's cause.

RIC IV 466 has the same reverse legend, listed as IMP VII but as Curtis points out this legend is probably a mis-reading of IMP VIII probably cause by the last I being after the bust as on this example. RIC 466 however is Victory with wreath and trophy whereas this type is Victory with wreath and palm. RIC and BMCRE cite Cohen 52 (5 Francs) for this coin.



Early IMP VIII with longer SEVER legends

Obv:- L SEPT SEVER PERT AVG IMP VIII, Laureate head right
Rev- FORTA EDVC or FORT REDVC (R corrected from A), Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopia

Julia Domna has a variety of eastern issues too.

Obv:- IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right
Rev:- MONETAE AVG II COS, Moneta standing left, holding scales and cornucopia
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194
Reference(s) - RIC -; BMCRE -; RSC -.

This coin is reverse die linked to the AVG issue.



Obv:- IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right
Rev:- FELECI[TAS] TEMPOR, Basket of grains and fruit.
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194 - 195
Reference(s) - cf RIC IV 619; cf BMCRE 415;

This coin is contemporary with the COS II issue



Obv:- IVLIA DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right
Rev:- VENER-I VICT, Venus standing left, holding apple in right hand, sceptre in left
Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare, A.D. 195
References:- BMCRE 422, RIC 630, RSC 188a

Contemporary with the IMP II issue



Obv:- IVLIA AVGVSTA, Draped bust right, hair tied in bun behind
Rev:- CERERI FRVGIF, Ceres seated left, holding grain ears in right hand, torch in left
Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 196 - 202
References:- BMC S10-13. RIC 636. RSC 14

Contemporary with the New Style issues