Brass Sestertius of Severus Alexander

This is a particularly well struck example of a Sestertius of the late Severan era in the author's collection. The details of this young emperor's face are clearly visible, accentuated by the warm brown patina on the coin. The quality of portraiture on the coinage began to decline sharply soon after this coin was struck and would not begin to regain a measure of its former craftsmanship and beauty until the reigns of Aurelian and Probus. Even then, there was no full recovery of artistic quality in coin portraiture untill the Renaissance in Europe, over 1200 years later. The image at left below shws the actual size of this coin if your monitor is set to 640 X 480 resolution on a 14 inch screen.

Severus Alexander was just a boy when he was raised to the purple, the second grandson of that grand old woman and maker of emperors, Julia Maesa. Replacing the totally corrupt and dissolute Elagabalus on the throne, Alexander reigned for thirteen years of prosperity under the watchful eye of his Maesa and his mother, Julia Mamaea. These were to be the last good years the Roman Emire would see for the next fifty years until the accession of Diocletian. The intervening times would bring anarchy, economic collapse, continuous barbarian invasion, civil war, and almost the collapse of the empire itself. With the coming of Diocletian and the Tetrarchy near the end of the Third Century, the Roman Empire would once again see stability and a measure of security for another 150 years.

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