Severus Alexander became emperor at 13 and ruled with the guidance of his mother Julia Mamaea. In the 230s he campaigned against the new Persian Sasanian empire and against Germanic tribes, and this Mars Ultor (‘Mars the Avenger’) coin was struck for those wars. He was murdered by his soldiers in 235, which began the 50-year ‘Crisis of the Third Century’.
Castings, Coins
KM-1009 Severus Alexander Mars Ultor Denarius
$10.25
Gold overlay casting pendant. Obverse: laureate draped bust of Severus Alexander facing right, IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG. Reverse: MARS VLTOR, Mars striding right carrying a spear and shield. Inscriptions explained: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG is short for Latin ‘Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander Augustus’, meaning ‘Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, the Augustus (revered one)’: the full official name and titles of Severus Alexander, emperor AD 222-235. MARS VLTOR is Latin for ‘Mars Ultor’, ‘Mars the Avenger’, the war god in his role of avenging Rome’s enemies.
