Caracalla. Denarius

Caracalla; 198-217 AD, Rome, ca. 206-7 AD, Denarius, 2.81g. BM-507, C-108 (12 Fr.), RIC-156 (Rare). Rx: IOVI SOSPITATORI Serapis, polos on head, standing front in niche or shrine, extending r. hand and holding vertical scepter in l. Very rare: only one specimen in Reka Devnia hoard, probably about twenty known overall. The unusual invocation of Serapis as "Jupiter the Savior" suggests escape from a conspiracy or recovery from illness, but we know nothing certain about why this type was chosen for the coins in late 206 or 207 AD or about the location of the shrine depicted. Because of the legend, the god in the shrine has traditionally been called Jupiter, but several scholars have pointed out that the polos he wears and the way he extends his right hand are in fact unmistakable marks of Serapis, a god that Septimius Severus is known to have cultivated in other ways. Ex HJB 136th Buy or Bid Sale, Feb. 2004, lot 168.Mark on face of emperor. VF