Caracalla (198-217)
Denier - Rome (215)
Monnaie parfaite - Probablement le plus beau denier de Caracalla connu.
Exemplaire de la vente Aureo & Calicó « Roma Aeterna » du 9 novembre 2017, N°135
3.19g - C. 296
FDC exceptionnel - NGC GEM MS * (5/5 5/5)
The condition of this coin is something that is not normally found on ancient coins, and – as such – it is unique. But it also pres- ents an attractive reverse type, with Serapis standing, which is also found on aurei (ref. Calicó 2745). Serapis, depicted facing, raising an arm and holding a sceptre in the other, was a Ptolemaic syncretic deity, incorporating features of Egyptian gods such as Hades, Apis and Osiris, and he is easily identifiable thanks to the calathus on his head – a fruit basket that symbolized abundance and fertility. The choice of type is noteworthy, because Caracalla identified himself with the god of healing – even staying in the Serapeum temple in Alexandria during the winter of AD 215-216.