AD 198-217 NGC AU STRIKE 5/5, SURFACE 5/5
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, better known as Caracalla, was a promising son of emperor Septimius Severus. Born at Lugdunum in 188 AD while his father was governor of the province, his youth was spent as the groomed son and heir apparent of Septimius, and many honors were bestowed upon him at the expense of his brother Geta. After their father’s passing in February of 211, the brothers embarked upon a contentius joint rule that lasted less than a year and ended in the fratricidal murder of Geta.
Caracalla was now free to live out his fantasies as the reincarnation of Alexander the Great, and embarked upon his campaign to conquer neighboring empires, as Alexander had done centuries before. In 214 AD he commenced war against the Alemanni, a German confederation, and he began to wear the caracallus, a hooded cloak from which his nickname derives. After successes in this campaign, Caracalla conquered the Danubian Capri, and began preparation for his invasion of Persia, another goal in imitation of Alexander. At Troy, Caracalla sponsored military parades to honor the fallen heroes of the Trojan War and acted out portions of Homer’s Iliad – with himself playing the role of Achilles, the greatest of Greek mythological warriors. Visiting the tomb of Alexander in Alexandria, he sought cures for his illnesses and for reasons unknown, decided to massacre tens of thousands of unarmed citizens. Now completely unhinged, Caracalla headed east to commence his much anticipated Parthian campaign, but was killed en route to Mesopotamia by a disgruntled soldier who was probably also concerned for his life, his praetorian prefect and successor, Macrinus.
We are fortunate to have on offer today a high grade and rare example of Caracalla’s gold coinage, an aureus in AU condition, graded by NGC. Superbly centered and lustrous, it features a strong portrait and has the excellent rating of 5/5 for both Strike and Surface.
The aureus is available here for: $28,250
