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Aureus (Coin) Portraying Empress Julia Domna

A work made of gold.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gold.

Date:

196-211, issued by Septimius Severus

Artist:

Roman, minted in Rome

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a bust of Empress Julia Domna facing right and draped. The back (reverse) depicts the deity Pietas standing left, with her right hand over a lit and garlanded altar, cradling an incense box in her left arm.

Julia Domna was the wife of the Emperor Septimius Severus and the mother of Caracalla and Geta. This coin was issued during the joint reign of Severus and his elder son. As the self-assured portrait on this coin suggests, Julia’s influence was openly recognized by contemporaries. Intellectual, ambitious, and steel-willed, the Syrian-born Julia was called “the philosopher”. The figure of Piety on the reverse is a standard type, invoking the traditional Roman attitude of respect and duty toward one’s family, country, and gods.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Empress Julia Domna

Place

Rome (Minted in)

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.

196 CE–211 CE

Medium

Gold

Inscriptions

Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA Reverse: PIETAS AVGG

Dimensions

Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4883

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/5664/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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