Emperor: Septimius Severus; Denomination: Denarius; Material: Silver

Emperor: Septimius Severus; Denomination: Denarius; Material: Silver; Reign of authority: 193–211; Years minted: 209 CE (TR P XVII); Weight: 3.25 g; Diameter: 18 mm. Obverse: Laureate bust of Septimius Severus facing right; legend SEVERVS PIVS AVG around. Reverse: Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt in extended right hand and long sceptre in left; small draped figures of Geta and Caracalla flanking the deity; legend P M TR P XVII COS III P P. Strike: hammered, well-centred with full legends; moderate die wear on highest points. Toning: light grey silver with faint golden iridescence in protected areas. References: RIC IV 226; BMCRE 331; RSC 388. Issued during Septimius Severus’s seventeenth tribunician year, the coin honours Jupiter as protector of the imperial family while presenting Severus’s sons Geta and Caracalla, reinforcing the intended dynastic succession. The depiction of both heirs beside the chief Roman god served a propagandistic role, linking the Severan lineage to divine favour and political stability after the civil conflicts of 193. The denarius circulated widely in the western and eastern provinces, contributing to the dissemination of the emperor’s image and the legitimacy of the planned co-rule of his sons following his death in 211.