CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea: Septimius Severus (193-211), AR drachm. 2.80g, 17-19mm.
Obv: Laureate head right
Rev: Mt. Argaeus surmounted by star; crescent to upper left; ЄT Є (year 5 = 196/97) in exergue.
Sydenham Supp. 395a.
Elegant portrait style, scarce year and variety.
In his fifth year (when this coin was issued), Severus defeated Clodius Albinus at the Battle of Lugdunum, securing full control over the Empire. He also initiated his campaign against Parthia, and made a large payment to his soldiers (perhaps explaining the mintage in this year, the first since 194), plus raised their annual salary from 300 to 400 denarii, thus living the advice he later gave to Caracalla: “Enrich the soldiers and ignore everyone else.”
The massive stratovolcano Mt. Argaeus/Argaios (now Erciyes) was sacred since at least the time of the Hittites (second millennium BC); it dominates the view south of Caesarea (now Kayseri, in Turkey). Caesarea was one of the few provincial cities having the right to mint silver, and the mountain is a standard feature on its coins. Depictions show a sacred cave or grotto, still found near the summit, as well as a strange object surrounded by dots - possibly a sacred stone. There is much still be learned about the Argaeus cult, with coins being an important source of information.