Septimius Severus AR Denarius, Rome AD 210, Neptune on Globe, RIC IV 234

Septimius Severus, Denarius, silver, AD 193–211; Rome, AD 210; 3.25 g; 18 mm. Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right. Rev: P M TR P XVIII COS III P P, Neptune standing left, nude except for cloak over left shoulder and right arm; right foot on globe; trident in left hand. Struck on a well-centered flan; obverse legend complete; reverse legend largely complete with softness at the top and minor central weakness; small edge split at 12 o’clock; light circulation wear. RIC IV 234.

Struck in tribunician year XVIII (AD 210) amid Severus’s British campaign, this reverse type with Neptune and globe is generally read as a statement of Roman control of the seas and the security of supply and communications to Britannia. The legends confirm the dating and status of the emperor late in his reign, recording his tribunician power XVIII, third consulship, and the title Pater Patriae.