A.D. 193–235 Roman Silver Three Julias of the Severan Dynasty 6-pc Set

The Three Julias—Women of the Severan Dynasty

Power wasn’t often given to women in ancient Rome, a fact illustrated on Roman coinage where women were typically absent. This collection of ancient silver coins, however, celebrates three of the most powerful women in the history of Rome—the sisters Julia Maesa and Julia Domna and Julia Maesa’s daughter, Julia Avita Mamaea—the “Three Julias” who together secured the succession of their husbands, sons, and grandsons into becoming emperors of the Roman Empire!

The Women Behind The Power Of Rome

This six-piece collection tells a fascinating story of Rome’s women within the context of the Roman Empire. Although they weren’t allowed to hold absolute power themselves, the Three Julias pulled many of the strings behind the scenes. By successfully raising their husbands and sons into powerful positions, these women could—and did—exercise de facto control over the empire through their male proxies. In addition to the coins featuring the three women, the set also contains three coins of their male counterparts that made their power viable.

The Rise and Fall of the Severan Dynasty

The epitome of a beautiful and graceful Roman noblewoman, Julia Domna (170–217), was the first empress of the Severan dynasty empress from 193 to 211 thanks to her marriage to Emperor Septimius Severus. Despite a largely successful reign, their sons, Caracalla and Geta, truly despised each other. A murderous beast, Caracalla even tried to kill his father while they were on campaign in England in 208. Following the death of Septimius in 211, Julia Domna tried to broker a peace between her two combative sons. The end result, however, was the murder of Geta, who died in Julia’s arms after assassins sent by Caracalla ambushed him in what was supposed to be a peace meeting to hammer out a truce between the two brothers. Caracalla did not have long to bask in his new-found power for just a few years later in 217 he was stabbed to death while urinating on the side of the road by a soldier upset that the hot-headed emperor had passed him over for promotion.

After the death of Caracalla, Julia Domna committed suicide by starving herself to death rather than suffer the embarrassment of being demoted to private life. Her role as the matriarch of the Severan Dynasty was assumed by her older sister, Julia Masea (160–224), who went on to engineer the overthrow of Caracalla’s assassin and the emperorship of two of her grandsons, Elagabalus and Severus Alexander. The mother of Alexander Severus was Julia Avita Mamaea (180–235), Julia Masea’s daughter. The younger Julia remained one of Severus Alexander’s chief advisors throughout his reign. She was killed in 235 by rebel soldiers alongside her son, the last emperor of the Severan dynasty.

Order Now, Only Limited Quantities Available!

Each coin in this A.D. 193–235 Roman Silver Three Julias of the Severan Dynasty Six-Piece Set was struck in 1.8 grams to 3.3 grams of silver. In addition, the set will come beautifully housed in a wooden presentation case and accompanied by a fact-filled story card that’s full of details regarding the significance of each coin and how the coins relate to one another. Quantities are very limited, so order yours today!