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Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Septimius Severus

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

197

Artist:

Roman, minted in Rome

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Emperor Septimius Severus, facing to the right. On the back (reverse), the legendary hero Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the knobby club that he leans on and the lion’s skin over his left shoulder. He also holds a bow in his left hand.

Herakles was the consummate hero. Temples across Greece and South Italy were dedicated to him, the son of Zeus, and Romans, who knew him as Hercules, celebrated him as a role model. With brute force, determination, and just enough cleverness, Herakles completed his famous Twelve Labors to become immortal. Herakles is readily identifiable by his knobby club and lion’s skin. The latter refers to his First Labor, in which he killed a magical beast who was ravaging the town of Nemea. The lion’s invincible hide made him immune to weapons, so Herakles strangled him and took his pelt. Depictions of Herakles’s other Labors can be seen throughout the galleries.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist

Ancient Roman

Title

Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Septimius Severus

Place

Roman Empire (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

197 CE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Obv: [L] SEPT SE[V P]ERT AVG IMP VIIII Rev: [HERCVLI] DEFENS

Dimensions

Diam.: 1.8 cm (3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of William F. Dunham

Reference Number

1920.1008

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/141840/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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