Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus. Aureus 196-211, AV 7.15 g. IVLIA – AVGVSTA Draped bust r. Rev. VESTA – MATER Six Vestals sacrificing over altar, in front of temple of Vesta. C 239. BMC S. Severus 97. RIC S. Severus 586. Calicó 2651 (these dies).
Extremely rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, among the finest specimens in
private hands. A very attractive portrait and an interesting and finely detailed
reverse composition. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex Rollin & Feuardent 26 May 1909, Evans, 197; NGSA 4, 2006, 198 and Tkalec May 2009, 159 sales. From the collection of a retired banker.

The reverse of this stunning reverse depicts a sacrifice before the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth and marriage. The Romans believed that her first temple was built by Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome, in the seventh century BC. It housed a sacred fire that was perpetually tended by the priestesses of Vesta, the famous Vestal Virgins, for it was believed that if the flame went out so too would the power of Rome. It burned continuously from the seventh century BC until it was at last extinguished by the Christian emperor Theodosius I (AD 379-395). Although the original temple was destroyed by the Gauls during their sack of the city in 390 BC, the real enemy of the temple was the perpetual flame that it contained. The Temple of Vesta burned down in 241 BC, 210 BC, and in the first century BC. The sanctuary was fully rebuilt during the reigns of Augustus and Nero, but burnt down again in AD 191 causing it to be reconstructed by the reigning emperor, Septimius Severus. This aureus, struck in the name of his wife, the empress Julia Domna, commemorates Severus’ rebuilding of the temple. The Temple of Vesta was important not only as the symbolic hearth of Rome, but as the depository of important documents, especially wills. One might question the wisdom of keeping paperwork in the same building as a large fire, however. The temple also contained many sacred relics from the legendary past of the city. Most notable among these was the Palladium, a statue of Minerva believed to have fallen from the sky and which Aeneas brought with him to Italy following the sack of Troy. The attention to detail of the ancient die engraver and the high level of preservation of this coin make it possible to still see the Palladium standing within the temple if one looks closely through the central intercolumniation. This is an exquisite coin that showcases the skill of a master engraver of the Severan age.