Although the Severan dynasty lasted for over forty years and provided a time of some stability before the crisis to come, it is a period that is understudied in comparison with other imperial dynasties. Therefore this volume, derived from R.’s doctoral thesis, is a welcome addition to the scholarship on this period. R. explores how each Severan emperor emphasised a special connection to various divinities, and used this divine sanction to bolster his regime. The book focuses primarily on how this divine sanction was visualised on coinage, but also takes into account literary sources and other material evidence.
In the first part R. argues that numismatic evidence can be an important tool for understanding imperial ideology, and particularly for the Severan period with its problematic literary record. R. argues that because coinage was produced on an enormous scale and still survives in large quantities it allows for a more nuanced perspective of the imperial image and its development over time. Through the judicious use of coin evidence, and silver issues from hoards in particular, one can establish a quantitative comparison of reverse types employed in the imperial mint and thus gauge the importance of each type and its communicative potential (p. 24). Coinage from provincial cities can also be utilised to demonstrate how imperial ideology was received and negotiated by local elites (p. 3).
In the following chapters R. investigates the reign of each Severan emperor, beginning with the founder of the dynasty Septimius Severus. Since Severus came to power through civil war, divine sanction was needed to legitimise his rule, and the tutelary divinities of Severus’ hometown of Leptis Magna, Hercules and Liber Pater, were given particular prominence appearing together for the first time on Roman coins. R. argues that the regime emphasised Hercules and Liber Pater together and individually with specific legends on the coinage at particular moments during the reign to underline the inevitability of Severus’ victory in the civil war, and to emphasise his Antonine adoption through Commodan Hercules imagery and the continuity of the dynasty by associating these divinities with Caracalla and Geta. Hercules and Liber Pater also appear on the coinage to highlight Severus’ celebration of the Secular Games and the construction of a temple dedicated to these gods at Rome. R. notes that while there is emphasis on Hercules and Liber at certain times during the reign, other more traditional types continue to be used on the coinage, such as Jupiter, the imperial virtues, and Neptune during the British campaign at the end of the reign, demonstrating the flexibility of the emperor's image.
During the sole reign of Caracalla the significant presence of Sarapis on the imperial coinage demonstrated this god's divine support for the regime. Apollo and Aesculapius also appear during the period of the emperor's provincial travels and possibly commemorated his visits to the shrines and sanctuaries of these deities. The dissemination of Caracalla's divine ideology outside Rome is illustrated by provincial cities issuing coins and setting up inscriptions associated with the divinities that the regime chose to emphasise. R. demonstrates how the quantitative analysis of hoards can add important information about imperial ideology. While Caracalla is often seen as a precursor of the later soldier emperors because of his military character, R.’s analysis shows that the emperor's patronage of provincial cults formed the basis of Caracalla's public image rather than military iconography, which drops off to a small percentage of the hoard sample.
R.’s discussion of the reign of the infamous emperor Elagabalus strives through the numismatic evidence to provide a more balanced account compared with that contained in the literary record. Although Elagabalus’ coinage is more difficult to quantify because of possible melting down after his damnatio, a proportion of the coinage portrayed the emperor in a traditional manner and advertised traditional imperial virtues. The numismatic record also does not reflect any greater influence for Julia Maesa and Soaemias; their coinage represents a similar proportion given to Julia Domna during the previous reigns. Evidence of the emperor's religious policy, however, can be seen on coins depicting the sacred stone of the deity Elagabal. Coins with images of Elagabalus in his capacity as high priest of this cult were struck in rather large quantities, indicating that this was an important element of the emperor's public image. Through her examination of provincial coinage and inscriptions, however, R. does not find evidence for a concerted policy implemented from above to establish monotheism or displace Jupiter as head of the pantheon through the promotion of Elagabal. R. notes that the adoption of the cult in provincial cities was piecemeal, based on a desire to seek imperial favour or in gratitude for an imperial benefaction such as a neokorate.
The coinage of Severus Alexander's reign shows a rejection of Elagabalus’ religious policy and a focus on the restoration of Rome. The emperor was portrayed as an avenger of Roman morals, culture and religion and the more traditional god Jupiter, under various epithets, functioned as his protective deity. Mars also appears on a large proportion of Severus Alexander's coinage, particularly during his Persian campaigns. The emperor, as a refounder of Rome, also associated himself with Romulus and Augustus. R.’s analysis of the provincial coinage and inscriptions shows a period of confusion and uncertainty following the damnatio of Elagabalus as some cities lost their neokorate status under the new emperor. The provincial coinage also reflects Severus Alexander's bestowal of honours on certain cities during his Persian campaign.
R. makes a persuasive argument that the quantification of numismatic material can further our understanding of the imperial message. She presents some important conclusions about the use of divine sanction and demonstrates how the imperial image could be changed and manipulated as the need arose. R. also emphasises the continuity of the approach taken by the Severan emperors, noting precedents for divine patronage going back to Augustus and even the Republican period, as well as the more recent example of Commodus. In highlighting this continuity R. convincingly dispels the persistent myths about the foreignness and ‘Africanity’ of this dynasty. This is most clearly seen in her discussion refuting the ‘oriental myth’ connected with the presence of Sol on Severan coinage (pp. 241–5). An important aspect of R.’s study is the integration of the numismatic material with textual, inscriptional and archaeological evidence to provide a more complete picture of how imperial imagery was disseminated. She includes the role of rituals and other public ceremonies in presenting the public image of each emperor and the effect of the divine ideology on the landscape of Rome with a comprehensive discussion of the temples and monuments built to the various divinities. The reception of the imperial image and ideology of each emperor in the wider empire is also considered through an examination of the epigraphic and numismatic evidence.
While overall the book is well written and researched there are some minor problems with the organisation, as the use of several subheadings in each chapter can at times detract from the flow of the argument. The volume includes extensive illustrations of the coins and monuments under discussion and graphs of the quantification of the coin hoards to assist the reader. This work is an excellent case study of how numismatics used in context can be a valuable tool for either confirming previous conclusions or adding new information. What stands out is R.’s ability to bring together a wide range of evidence and this work will therefore be a useful resource for scholars interested in many aspects of the Severan period. R. provides an important collection of material on the dissemination and visualisation of imperial ideology by the Severan emperors and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the public image of this dynasty.
