Septimius Severus, 193-211, Denarius

Septimius Severus, Denarius, AR, AD 193–211; Rome, c. AD 193–194; 3.28 g; 19 mm. Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII; laureate head of Septimius Severus right. Rev: MARS PATER; Mars standing facing, head right, holding patera and spear. Struck at Rome during the early Severan issues corresponding to the fourth imperatorial acclamation. RIC IV Septimius Severus 46.

Issued at the outset of Severus’s reign in the Year of the Five Emperors, this denarius bears the adopted cognomen Pertinax in the obverse legend, signaling his claim to legitimate succession after the murder of Pertinax. The IMP IIII titulature dates the piece to the early civil-war campaigns of AD 193–194 against rival claimants, while the Mars Pater reverse invoked the army’s patron deity to emphasize military support as the foundation of Severus’s authority and consolidation of power.