Ancient Coin of the Day: One of my favourites today - the fantastic aureus of Septimius Severus from AD 202-210, showing the Stadium of Domitian. #ACOTD #SeptimiusSeverus

Image: RIC IV Septimius Severus 260; British Museum (1844,1015.170). Link - http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.4.ss.260

It's well-known that Domitian was an emperor who was interested in entertainments, with one of the most notable being his creation of the Capitoline Games – a festival of music, horsemanship, and athletics to be held every four years (N.B. not five as stated by Suetonius: Dom 4).

Censorius (On the Birthday, 18.15) informs us that the games were first held on 12 January AD 86. These games served to establish Rome as a cultural capital of the world, drawing artists and poets to the capital of the empire for their celebration.

Games also played a major role in the reign of Septimius Severus, with large set-piece events including games for his decennalia in AD 202 and his celebration of the Ludi Saeculares in AD 204. Domitian had also celebrated the Saecular Games in his reign, in AD 88.

The Obverse of this coin shows a laureate head of Septimius Severus, with the simple Legend SEVERVS PIVS AVG.

But the Reverse, with its Legend of COS III P P – ‘Consul for the third time, Father of the Fatherland’, shows the Stadium of Domitian with its 192m long track designed for ‘Greek Games’, with an intriguing group of nine figures perhaps representing competitors.

This coin is frequently connected with another issue of Septimius Severus, the so-called ‘ship-in-Circus’ denarius, also dated AD 202-210.

Image: RIC IV Septimius Severus 274 (denarius); Münzkabinett Wien (ID66598). Link - http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.4.ss.274_denarius

The Reverse of this coin, with its emphatic Legend of LAETITIA TEMPORVM – ‘Happiness of the Times’ – is perhaps more easily linked with the Saecular Games of AD 204, but it could equally make sense for the Decennalia Games of AD 202.

Indeed Dio (77.1.5) does mention a fake boat being constructed for the games in AD 202, which released 400 wild animals into the arena. Sadly, further discussion is probably beyond the realms of this thread!

Therefore, for more on these coins, see:

Damsky, Ben L. “THE STADIUM AUREUS OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS.” American Journal of Numismatics (1989-), vol. 2, 1990, pp. 77–105.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43580168 

#ACOTD #SeptimiusSeverus