Next club meeting Monday 7th December 2015.

The activities will be as follows:

1.    The main feature will be a mini coin fair. Tables will not be charged for & there will be a collective members table.

2.    A coin quiz

3.    Members to bring along one or two items that for some reason are considered special (e.g. recent acquisition, a long sought after piece, an unusual find, an oddity etc.). A brief written explanation as to why the piece is special to you.

4.    Christmas buffet!

Meetings are held at the Abbey Baptist Church, Abbey Square, commencing at 7.00 p.m.

 

Notices

 

·         The Xmas dinner is booked for 18.45 on Sat 5 December 2015 at The Cunning Man.  The cost will be £25 per person, menu details are given in a separate attachment to this e-mail. We have to pre-order three weeks before. Note that coffee/ mince pie can be chosen in place of a dessert. If you haven’t already done so, please let Peter know

1)      if you want to attend

2)      your menu choices

either by e-mail or at the November meeting. 

·         Please continue thinking about Short Talks for January, and Auction lots for March!

 

November Meeting

 

Peter spoke on “The Death of Commodus (AD192) - the aftermath: in Britain and the Roman Empire”. Note that all illustrations are denarii unless otherwise stated.

 

LVCIVS AVRELIVS COMMODVS, born in 161 to Faustina Jr. and MARCUS AURELIUS, became Caesar on in 166 and co-Augustus with Aurelius in 177.  When Aurelius died in 180 he took the throne, but quickly gave up Aurelius' military gains and became know for a regime of violence and depravity. LUCILLA, his sister, and CRISPINA, his wife, were exiled and killed in 183.  He was an excellent athlete, and believed he was Hercules incarnate.  His cruel insanity which led to the murder of a large percentage of senior Roman leaders led to his murder on 31 December 192 by Laetus, his Praetorian Prefect, and his mistress Marcia.

 

Marcus Aurelius

Commodus

Lucilla

Crispina

 

The conspirators said that Commodus had died of apoplexy and Laetus persuaded  PUBLIUS HELVIUS PERTINAX, the Prefect of Rome, to make a bid for the throne. Accordingly, on 1 January 193 the city awoke to a new emperor, Pertinax. Commodus was subjected to the decree of "damnatio memoriae" by the Senate.

 

Pertinax was generally the army’s and provincial governors’ choice but the reforms he had to introduce to stabilise the Empire’s economy were unpopular and within months he was assassinated by the his Praetorian Guard. The Empire was sold to the highest bidder, one MARCVS DIDIVS SEVERVS JVLIANVS (26,000 sestertii/ Guard) and the Empire was scandalised. Three grouping of provincial governors sought to overthrow Julianus: SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS in the east frontier, PESCENNIUS NIGER in Syria and CLODIUS ALBINUS in Britain.

 

Pertinax

Didius Julianus

Septimius Severus

Pescennius Niger

 

Doing a deal with Albinus and blocking Niger’s intended advance through the Balkans to take Rome, Severus reached Rome and camped outside. Julianus was murdered by the soldiers after a reign of a few months. Severus disbanded the Praetorian Guard and had the Senate revoke its decree of "damnatio memoriae" of 195 to strengthen his own ties to Marcus Aurelius. Legitimacy was a key issue over the next 30 years with most of the emperors changing their names to improve their pedigree. In the event, Niger was killed and, as Severus’ two sons (CARACALLA and GETA) matured, Albinus was defeated and killed, leaving the Empire with Severus and his family.

 

Clodius Albinus

Caracalla

Geta

Caracalla (Ant)

 

Severus campaigned almost all his life, dying in York after a lacklustre invasion of Scotland. He was succeeded by Caracalla who proved at least as bad as Commodus. He killed his brother Geta in 2012 and eventually was assassinated in 217 by a soldier in his guard. His Prefect, MACRINUS was installed as emperor. Severus had married JULIA DOMNA and her family were adherents to the El Gabal cult in Emesa. The family contrived to get a nephew of Caracalla on the throne who ruled in the name of MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS (Caracalla’s name) but better known as ELAGABALUS.

 

The orientalising of the office of emperor scandalised Rome and he was assassinated in 222. After 30 years of stress the Empire settled down for a few years under his young cousin SEVERUS ALEXANDER (well, until 235 when he was murdered).

 

Macrinus (Ant)

Julia Domna

Elagabalus

Severus Alexander

 

 

The important historical point is that many coins contain the legend BRIT and are relatively cheap, especially those of Caracalla.

 

The silver coinage was severely debased in this period, with a new coin, purportedly two denarii – the Antoninianus – being introduced by Caracalla at less than the weight of two denarii – which itself was debased until extinction 60 years later, with good silver driven out of circulation. Inflation, mainly caused by the cost of maintaining an army (Septimius’ advice to Caracalla was …pay the soldiers well. Nothing else matters.) ruined the economy which could not raise taxes to cope.

 

Future Events.

Past Events

In November 1975 the club auction took place - no details available.

In 1985 we had a talk on the excavations at Silchester.

The club auction was held in 1995.

In 2005 Julian Baker described the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

 

Club Secretary.