The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip I
Aureus circa 246–248, AV 4.35 g. M·OTACIL SEVERA AVG Diademed and draped bust r. Rev. CONCORDIA AVGG Concordia seated l., holding patera and double cornucopiae. C2. RIC Philip I 125. Calicó 3264 (this obverse die).
Extremely rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A lovely portrait well struck in
high relief on a full flan, without the usual porosity on cheek, extremely fine
Provenance
Offered by Münzen und Medaillen, auction VI, Basel, 6-7 December 1946, lot 840, estimated CHF 2’400.
Dr. Herbert Mayr-Harting Collection sold by Glendining’s, auction, London, 15 November 1949, lot 209, for £180/0/0.
Dr. John Cosmo Stuart Rasleigh (1872-1961) Collection sold by Glendining’s, auction, London, 14-16 January 1953, lot 74. E.S.R. Collection sold by Adolph Hess A.G. & Bank Leu, Hermann Rosenberg expert, auction 17, Lucerne, 23 March 1961, lot 327, estimated CHF 3’500, for CHF 5’000.
Sold by Hauck & Aufhäuser, auction 17, Munich, 18-19 March 2003, lot 515.
Sold by Numismatica Genevensis S.A., Alain Baron expert, auction IV, Geneva, 11-12 December 2006, lot 218.

The life of Otacilia Severa, like so many Roman empresses, is largely a mystery. Little of substance is known of her except what can be gleaned from surviving artifacts and the occasional Imperial record. Her portrait is familiar from her numerous coins, and it is known that she was honoured with the titles mother of the army, the senate and the empire. There is also good reason to believe that she was a direct relative – perhaps even the daughter – of a certain Severianus (or Severus) whom her husband appointed to a high position in the Balkans. Philip was, after all, partial to promoting relatives, including his brother Priscus, who remained in the east as praetorian prefect and Rector Orientis. (Unfortunately Philip's nepotism backfired as the cruel exactions of Priscus sparked the revolt of Jotapian, and the apparent incompetence of Severianus required his replacement by the prefect of Rome, Trajan Decius, who restored order and eventually overthrew Philip.) Beyond this we must rely on later Christian writers who suggest that she and her husband were Christians, or at the very least sympathised with the plight of Christians. As such they serve as a foil to the subsequent regimes of Trajan Decius and Trebonianus Gallus, both of whom were particularly harsh to Christians. It is even suggested that Otacilia Severa sought penance from Saint Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, for the role she played in the murder of Gordian III. Unfortunately, there is no supporting evidence for their pro-Christian activities, and some of their actions seem to contradict the supposition. Even Otacilia's death is veiled in mystery: she may have been murdered along with her son by the praetorian guardsmen, or, as one source suggests, she retired unharmed.