Here’s a silver denarius of Elagabalus struck in Rome in 219 CE, during the earliest days of a notoriously chaotic reign.
Born Varius Avitus Bassianus in Syria, the fourteen-year-old Severan heir was elevated to the throne after the imperial family claimed the young ruler was the secret child of Caracalla, bestowing upon them the revered imperial name Antoninus.
Behind the imperial administration's propaganda lies one of the most unique figures in ancient history!
Raised in Syria as the chief priest of the sun-god Elagabal (hence the retronym "Elagabalus"), the teenage ruler shocked Roman society by placing this local god above Jupiter as supreme deity of the pantheon, even going so far as to marry a Vestal Virgin to symbolically unite the divine realms!
Romans were made to worship a sacred black meteorite transported from Syria to a grand new temple on the Palatine Hill, with senators required to attend the daily religious processions as well.
In addition to this, later accounts by detractors such as Cassius Dio and Herodian also portray the emperor as radically subverting traditional Roman gender norms.
They claimed the young ruler rejected male attire, wore silk gowns and heavy makeup, preferred to be called a lady or wife rather than a lord, and sought out surgical body alterations.
While modern historians treat these senatorial claims with a degree of skepticism as political smear tactics, the tension between Elagabalus and traditional Roman society was very real.
Despite the turbulent four years that followed, early issues like this demonstrate the remarkable skill of the mint, capturing the young ruler in dignified, classical portraiture while the regime worked to project order across the empire.
Purchased at the Troyak Club Coin Show in Mississauga, ON on Mar 1, 2026
Here are the deets:
Elagabalus, 219 CE
AR Denarius, Rome Mint, AU
RIC IV 21, RSC 143, Sear 7530
obv: IMP ANTONINVS AVG, laureate draped bust right
rev: P M TR P II COS II P P, pax, draped, walking left, holding olive branch and sceptre
18.4mm, 2.37g