SEVERUS ALEXANDER, AD 222-235. AR Denarius

SEVERUS ALEXANDER, AD 222-235. AR Denarius (19 mm, 2.99 g, 6 h). Rome mint, struck AD 222-228. Obv. IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG – Laureate, draped bust right. Rev. AEQVITAS AVG – Aequitas standing left, holding scales in right hand and cornucopia in left.  RIC IV 127; RSC 9; BMCRE 315. Bright silver surfaces with light golden toning, sharp portrait and full legends; faint reverse hairlines.

Aequitas, the personification of fiscal fairness, was an apt emblem for the first years of Severus Alexander’s reign, when the 13-year-old emperor—guided by his formidable mother Julia Mamaea—sought to restore confidence after the excesses of Elagabalus. Contemporary sources praise his scrupulous attention to judicial equity and careful financial management, including tax remissions and regular army pay, measures designed to appease both the Senate and the legions. By pairing his youthful yet dignified image with the goddess’s scales and cornucopia, this denarius reminded Rome’s citizens that stable governance and economic plenty were again the guiding principles of the Severan house.