A.D. 218–222 Roman Elagabalus Tetradrachm NGC Ch VF

One Of Rome’s Most Scandalous Emperors!

Elagabalus was Roman emperor from A.D. 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. Imagine an immature 14-year-old becoming the supreme leader of the world’s greatest empire with the national treasury as his personal bank account and the Praetorian Guard as his personal bodyguard. You can guess what kind of out-of-control shenanigans were going to—and did—take place! It should come as no surprise that his short reign was conspicuous for sex scandals and religious controversy. One of the most depraved emperors in Roman history, Elagabalus married three women, one man, and dressed as a man or woman depending on whatever mood struck him. He also threw wild orgies in which the worst kind of depravities not only took place but were encouraged.

Ancient Quarter-Sized Silver Tetradrachms

These coins—ancient quarter-sized Silver Tetradrachms measuring approximately 27 mm in diameter—were struck from 218–222 during the reign of Elagabalus, a period when Rome was beginning to become unstable. It wasn’t until A.D. 235 that the Crisis of the Third Century officially began, but Elagabalus’ attitudes, his actions, and his assassination were certainly characteristic of the problems that would continue to get worse. Here, you have the chance to own one of these scandalous coins graded, attributed, and slabbed by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) in Choice Very Fine (Ch VF) condition—a remarkable grade since it’s more than 1,800 years old!

The Final Fate Of Elagabalus

And what about the final fate of Elagabalus? Well, you know you’ve gone too far when even your grandmother wants you dead! By 221, Julia Maesa, who had engineered the rise of Elagabalus to the throne, saw the writing on the wall among members of the Senate and the army. For sure, “eccentric” is not a strong enough word for Elagabalus, and the adolescent emperor’s actions had alienated both the leading figures of Roman hierarchy by elevating lesser people to position of power simply on how well they performed in bed or drove a chariot in the games. Julia Maesa was able to convince her grandson to adopt his cousin, 12-year-old Severus Alexander, and secretly plotted to have her grandson assassinated in order for Severus Alexander to become the new emperor. She clearly had hopes that the young boy was more malleable to her own machinations.

The plans came to fruition in March of 222 when Elagabalus was slaughtered by his soldiers after publicly presenting his cousin in a lavish ceremony. He tried to escape by hiding in a public toilet only to be dragged into the streets, beheaded, and dumped into the River Tiber, washing up later in Rome’s sewers. Severus Alexander’s assassination 13 years later in 235 marked the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century, Rome’s so-called “Age of Chaos.”

Act Now To Secure A Piece Of The Roman Empire

The reign of Elagabalus is symbolic of the fall of the Roman Empire. Don’t miss your chance to travel back in time and hold a piece of the Roman Empire in your hand when Rome was the center of the universe. Become a curator of world history today!