Severus Alexander (AD 222-235) AR Denarius

Beautiful coin, XF details and fine metal quality which is nice as issues of Severus Alexander often have rougher surfaces

Severus Alexander became emperor at just 13 after the murder of his cousin Elagabalus in 222 AD, and his government was dominated by his mother, Julia Mamaea. His reign was relatively stable, but he faced the rising threat of the new Sasanian Persian empire, and his murder by his own troops in 235 AD opened the Crisis of the Third Century. The VIRTVS type, showing the young emperor in military dress with his foot on a helmet, projects a martial image his soldiers ultimately found unconvincing.