Why? Why would two rivals for the Empire use coin types in a kind of "tit for tat" manner? It could be argued that traditional types were used on imperial coinage for years, and the two candidates were just following tradition--looking "imperial" if you will. But Stevenson says they had both used legends "which were not to be found on the coins of other emperors," in other words--unique. And he also says they "emulated each other." Why? I examined the legend referenced by Stevenson, BONAE SPEI to see if it was indeed unique. Starting with Augustus and working through Pertinax, I searched RIC for any sign of the legend. I could find none. Therefore Stevenson was correct: Niger and Severus suddenly decided, at the same time(c. 193-194 A.D.) to adopt a unique coin type. It certainly could not have been a coincidence. Were there others, as Stevenson had mentioned? I searched RIC for other legends that both Niger and Severus--from his Eastern mint-- shared. They are: FELICIA TEMPORA(although Severus has slightly altered his to FELICIT TEMPOR.), FORTVNAE REDUCI, INVICTO IMP,(Severus, INVICTO IMP TROPAEA) IOVI PRAE ORBIS, and IVSTITIA AVG (Severus is IVSTI. AVG); MARTI VICTOR, MONETAE AVG, ROMAE AETERNA, SAECVLI FELICITAS, and VICTORIA AVG., and of course my recently purchased coin, BONI EVENTUS. Of these, all are tried and true traditional coin types , except for the following: FELICIA TEMPORA(roughly, "Happy Times"); INVICTO IMP,("Imperial Valor"; "Unconquered one"6), and IOVI PRAE ORBIS (Jupiter the Governor of the World.) Of this last, Stevenson says
"This inscription appears for the first time on a coin of Pescennius Niger...Severus, however, immediately afterwards adopted the same dedication in his own coinage."7
So it seems from this last that Severus is the copy-cat. But why? Why go to
all the trouble of copying a rivals' new coin type?
Of the four unique types (including BONAE SPEI) two of these are
"boastful", meaning for example, "if you support me I will give you happy
times;" or "I am unconquered and full of valor." One might conclude,
therefore, that the reason these legends were copied was a good old
fashioned macho spitting contest; "Anything you can do, I can do better!"
The two other legends interest me the most, however, for one has to do with
Jupiter, father of all gods, and the other Spes, the personification of hope.
Both of these concepts--a god and a feeling--require faith, the belief in
intangibles. If Niger suddenly calls upon Jupiter for help in the battles for
control of the empire, or he enlists "hope" to his cause, it is conceivable
that Severus might feel he had to do the same. And so I have formed a theory
as to why these two coin types of Niger's were repeated by Septimius Severus:
it is simply because of superstition. Septimius Severus--governor, general of his
legions, eventually emperor of Rome for eighteen years--was a superstitious
man.
Before continuing with my admittedly simple theory, it might first be best
to set the political scene prior to 193. Commodus, after a bloody rule, was
finally assassinated on December 31, 1928 by a wrestler who strangled him
while he bathed. His successor, Pertinax, seemed to get off on the wrong
foot and was murdered by his Praetorian Guards, on March 26, 193.9 Then in
one of the most notorious scenes in Roman history, the imperial office was
auctioned by the guard to the highest bidder, Didius Julianus.10 He fared no
better than Pertinax, for he was instantly abused by the people, who seemed
to want Niger (who was then governor of Syria) to come to their rescue.
Niger, getting wind of this, had his troops proclaim him emperor(calling
himself "the new Alexander"11), and Severus, who was governor of Pannonia
didn't let the grass grow under his feet either and was proclaimed emperor by
his troops as well.(April 9, 193.)
Julianus had Niger and Severus proclaimed "public enemies," but the writing
was on the wall for this hapless emperor. Severus marched his army towards
Rome, and even though Julianus suggested joint rule with Severus, the later
refused and sent word to the Praetorian Guard that if they "surrendered the
slayers of Pertinax and themselves kept the peace they would suffer no
harm."12
This was Julianus' death warrant. He was assassinated in his palace, crying
out, "but what harm have I done? Whom have I killed?"13 It is irresistible
to point out that at that moment he must have wished he had been out-bid in
the auction for the purple.>BR>
Severus marched into Rome, disbanded the Praetorian Guard, consolidated his
power and got ready to deal with Niger, whose base was Antioch. Severus may
have been-- with good reason-- concerned that Niger might advance through
Lybia to Egypt and cut off Rome's corn supply,14 so he left Rome for the east
almost immediately.
With civil war facing him and his rival invoking the good name of "Hope"
and the divine help of Jupiter (on two unique coin types,) Severus might have
felt he had to cover his bets--he had to invoke the same images on his coins.
Not to do so might tempt the gods, or fates, or cosmos. And you can't win a
civil war with Jupiter mad at you or with "Hope" on the other side! (Sound
crazy? How many of you "knock wood" or say "God bless you" at a sneeze?)
There is also plenty of historical evidence to support the notion of Severus
as a superstitious man. According to ancient sources, when he wanted to
"take another wife, he made inquiries about the horoscope of marriageable women, being himself no mean astrologer; and when he learned that there was a woman in Syria whose horoscope predicted that she would wed a king (I mean Julia, of course) he sought her for his wife..."15
He also believed in dreams (which was not uncommon at the time.) While he was governor of Gaul he dreamed "the whole Roman domain approached him and saluted."16 and "When he was admitted to the Senate, he dreamed that he was suckled by a she wolf, just as Romulus had been."17
Severus apparently interpreted these dreams to mean he would someday be emperor, although it is possible that these stories were made up years into his reign, as justification for his forming a dynasty. But considering the emphasis many of his fellow Romans placed on omens and dreams and horoscopes18, it is indeed possible that these stories were true.
Niger was also a believer in omens. He was apparently disturbed when
"an eagle perched upon a military standard and remained there until
captured, in spite of attempts to drive it away, and bees made honey comb
around the military standards and especially around his images."19
Once again, this could be historical embellishment, but for the same reasons
as above, there could also be grains of truth to these stories. One thing is
certain; Niger, who had proceeded against Severus' army from his base in
Byzantium, apparently got cold feet and high-tailed it back there. Now it
could be for strictly military reasons, but his retreat could also have been
hastened by "bad omens." Remember, this is an age when priests read the
entrails of birds to predict events!
Another important thing to remember is why denarii were minted in the first
place: to pay the troops. If Severus' army got wind that their opponents
were being protected by Jupiter, or Good Hope, I would not doubt that Severus
would not want them thinking that the gods were against them. For that
reason alone these unique coin types could have been copied. Soldiers were,
after all, extremely superstitious. In fact, at the final big battle between
Severus and Niger, the day was saved for the former when an electrical storm
blew in and
"this inspired courage in one side[Severus], which
believed it was being aided by Heaven, and fear in the other[Niger],which
felt that Heaven was warring against
it; thus it made the one army strong beyond its own strength, and terrified
the other in spite of it's real power."20
In other words, an outnumbered army fought itself to victory on the belief
that the gods were fighting with them, while their opponent--occupying the
high ground and outnumbering them--fled in superstitious terror.
Before I conclude,there is another possibility, (admittedly thin,) which
might also explain these shared coin legends.
Niger's coinage was minted in Antioch, capital of Syria, which he governed.
The eastern coinage of Severus we are discussing here is attributed-- with
some controversy-- to the mint of Emesa, about 150 miles to the southeast.
At the time the rivals were busy proclaiming themselves emperor, the east
was under Niger's control, including, presumably, Emesa. But Niger very
quickly lost the support of the city21(which was the hometown of Severus'
wife Julia Domna.) One might therefore be tempted to explain the "shared"
coin types as "spoils of war;" i.e., Emesa had first used the reverse dies in
question to strike coins for Niger. Once loyalties had changed, the city then
used the very same dies for the coinage of Severus.
The problem with this theory is my inability to find good illustrations of
the coins in question to see if they are exactly the same reverse
portrait(the coins themselves are rare.) The next problem would then be
comparing dies. And then one would have to prove that Niger's coins were
struck anywhere else but Antioch. (I'll give this theory to anybody who wants
to do the research!)
I think it far more likely that both Niger and Severus, each with strong
supporters and no real idea of how their civil war might turn out, used every
tool at their disposal to insure victory. Like General George Patton
summoning the chaplain to put in a word with the Lord for good weather,
Severus, seeing his rival invoking Jupiter and Hope (in unique coin types)
was not about to be outdone.
If my theory is cor