Septimius Severus Denarius Ancient Roman Empire Silver Coin 103AD RIC 288

Obverse: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, Head of Septimius Severus, laureate, right
Reverse: RESTITVTOR VRBIS, Roma, helmeted, draped, seated left on shield, holding palladium in right hand and spear in left hand
Date: c. 202-210 A.D
ID: RIC IV Septimius Severus 288 (denarius)
Size: 18mm diameter, 2.86g weight
Composition: Silver

Septimius Severus seized the throne after a brief period of civil war following the assassination of Emperor Commodus. He expanded and professionalized the army’s role in imperial politics—raising soldiers’ pay, reinforcing frontier defenses, and expanding the Empire to its greatest territorial extent. His reign marked a shift toward a more centralized, autocratic empire. But his heavy military spending (and his strategy of debasing the currency to support it) weakened the economy and set the stage for the Crisis of the 3rd Century, a period of 50 years of civil war that nearly destroyed the Empire.