AR25 - Severus Alexander L Β

Struck in regnal year 2 (222–223 AD), this tetradrachm from the Alexandrian mint belongs to the opening phase of Severus Alexander's reign — a reign that began when the fourteen-year-old emperor was elevated after the Praetorian Guard murdered Elagabalus and his mother in a latrine. The Egyptian coinage of Alexandria operated on a closed currency system, meaning Roman denarii could not legally circulate in the province; all coin had to pass through the Alexandrian mint, which conveniently allowed imperial authorities to control the billon alloy content independently of Rome's own monetary standards.