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Denarius - Pescennius Niger SAECVLI FELICITAS, Caesarea
| Issuer | Syria, Usurpations of |
|---|---|
| Year | 193-194 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.26 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Seven eight-pointed stars arranged in a constellation-like pattern above a crescent moon, all set within a plain inner field. The crescent opens upward, its horns pointing toward the star grouping above, evoking celestial symbolism associated with the prosperity and felicity of the new age. The surrounding legend SAECVLI FELICITAS, meaning 'Age of Good Fortune', runs in Latin capitals around the periphery of the flan. The design is bold and iconographically distinctive, reflecting the propagandistic aspirations of Pescennius Niger's short-lived regime. The die cutting is competent and consistent with the output of the Caesarea (Cappadocia) mint during the civil war coinage of 193–194 AD. |
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| Additional information |
Pescennius Niger's claim to the purple lasted less than two years. Proclaimed emperor by the Syrian legions in 193 AD following the murder of Pertinax, he controlled the wealthy eastern provinces and struck coins at Caesarea in Cappadocia — not Rome — giving his coinage a distinct provincial character that separates it metrologically and stylistically from contemporary western issues. Septimius Severus defeated him at the Battle of Issus in 194 AD, after which Niger was captured and executed near Antioch.
The Caesarean mint attribution, confirmed across RIC IV.1, distinguishes this piece from the Antioch issues within the same short series.