Geta, As Caesar, Denarius

Geta (as Caesar, AD 198–209), Denarius, AR, Rome, AD 205; 3.31 g, 19 mm. Obverse: P SEPTIMIVS GETA CAES; bare-headed, draped bust right. Reverse: PONTIF COS; Minerva standing left, holding spear and resting on shield. Struck at Rome on the standard Severan denarius module; issue marking Geta’s first consulship. RIC IV Geta 34A.

Geta, the younger son of Septimius Severus, was made Caesar in AD 198 and shared dynastic promotion with his brother Caracalla; the legend PONTIF COS records his status as pontifex and his first consulship in AD 205. Struck at Rome during the Severan dynasty’s consolidation of power, this type belongs to the imperial program that presented Geta as an active participant in state and religious offices before his elevation to Augustus in AD 209 and subsequent murder in AD 211.