Caracalla augustus, 198 – 217. Aureus 214, AV 20 mm, 7.30 g. ANTONINVS PIVS – AVG GERM Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. LIBERAL·AVG·VIIII Caracalla seated l. on platform; behind him, lictor and in front, Liberalitas. At foot of platform, citizen mounting steps. C 138 var. (no drapery and cuirass). BMC –, cf. p. 444, note * (no drapery or cuirass). RIC 303 var. (no drapery or cuirass). Calicó 2693 var. (no drapery or cuirass). Very rare. A coin in exceptional state of preservation with a portrait of exquisite style struck on an extremely large flan. Virtually as struck and FdcGraded MS*, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, NGC photo certificate number 8558681-002 Ex Triton XXIX, 2026, 778. The reasons for Caracalla's military expedition to Upper Germany in 213 will probably never be known, for there is no evidence of destruction of Roman cities or fortresses in the region at that time. Perhaps it was a pre-emptive strike to head off trouble that was expected, or it was an exercise to prepare the legions that would lead the imminent campaign against the Parthians. Limited military encounters seem to have occurred in August and September of 213, for on October 6, in Rome, the Arval Brothers made sacrifices "for the safety and German victory of the emperor." Caracalla earned the title Germanicus maximus, and whatever measures he had taken were effective, for peace reigned on the German front for the next two decades. This aureus, with its platform scene, records the emperor's ninth largess, distributed in 214 for that victory. Dio indicates that the campaign was waged against the Alamanni, a confederation of Germanic tribes which had adopted the non-ethnic name ("all men"). This may be questioned because that portion of his work survives only as an epitome. The original name may have been exchanged for one more familiar to a contemporary audience. Caracalla did not assume the title Alamannicus, but Germanicus, and the first properly attested use of Alamanni does not occur until a panegyric of 289 in which the emperor Maximian is lauded for a victory over the Burgundiones et Alamanni. Even if the battles were few, the preparations and related activities were many. Not since the reign of Domitian had so large a Roman army gathered between the Rhine and Danube. The campaign was conducted from Raetia and Mainz, which apparently was the main base of operations. Commemorative inscriptions show there was much road repair and building activity in the region and it seems that the limes were improved, with the palisade being backed up with a bank and ditch. In some areas, stone walls were built like the ones that already existed along the Raetian limes, and inscriptions at some forts in Raetia show that Caracalla visited after the campaign. While in the region, Caracalla is said to have visited the temple of Apollo Grannus at Aquae Granni (Aachen) to seek a cure for his chronic illness. Some authorities suggest that the limited scale of the German campaign and the subsidies offered to the tribes afterward were a consequence of the emperor's health concerns. Soon afterward, on his trek through Asia Minor, Caracalla would invest much hope in the healing powers of the priests of the temple of Aesculapius in Pergamum. Please find here the video of the coin