Septimius Severus, 193 – 211. Aureus 202-210, AV 21 mm, 7.27 g. SEVERVS – PIVS AVG Laureate head r. Rev. VOTA SVSCEPT – A XX S. Severus, veiled, standing r., sacrificing out of patera over altar, facing him Caracalla facing l. holding staff (?); between them, flute player. C 793. BMC 376. RIC 309. Calicó 2584. Very rare. An attractive portrait and a very interesting reverse composition struck in high relief on a very large flan. Good extremely fineGraded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5 – Fine Style, NGC photo certificate number 8583631-002 Ex NAC sale 154, 2025, 1428. In AD 193, public outcry over the murder of Pertinax and the Praetorian Guard’s sale of the imperial title to Didius Julianus sparked a revolt in the provinces. Septimius Severus, the governor of Pannonia Superior, was proclaimed emperor by the forces under his command, as were Clodius Albinus in Britannia and Pescennius Niger in Syria. The close proximity of his province to Italy meant that Severus reached Rome first and could claim the capital before his rivals. Julianus had been murdered beforehand, making it unnecessary for Severus to take the city by force, leaving only Albinus and Niger to deal with. Once in Rome, Septimius Severus neutralised the threat of Albinus by offering him the subordinate imperial title of Caesar in return for his support against Niger. With Albinus as an ally, Severus then marched on Syria with the full might of the western Roman legions at his command to defeat Pescennius Niger at Issus in 194. Almost immediately after this victorious conclusion of the bloody Year of the Five Emperors, in 195, Severus made war on the Parthian Empire in response to interference in the Roman client-kingdoms of Mesopotamia. Returning to Rome in triumph, he was forced to march against Albinus in the following year after he proclaimed himself as a rival emperor. Albinus was defeated near Lugdunum and committed suicide in 197, thus leaving Septimius Severus as the sole master of the Roman world. With the corpse of Clodius Albinus barely cold, Severus then returned to the Parthian frontier with his sons Caracalla and Geta. This second Parthian campaign, which continued until 199, resulted in the capture of the Parthian capital at Ctesiphon and a negotiated relationship with the Arab caravan kingdom of Hatra. At the conclusion of the war, Severus and his family returned to Rome via Syria and Egypt. In 202, Severus celebrated a triumphal decennalia (10-year anniversary of his reign) in Rome with lavish games and distributions of public largesse to mark a decade of success and triumph over imperial rivals and external enemies. This wonderful gold aureus was produced for distribution during the decennalia celebrations that began at the Roman New Year. Although the coin does not explicitly mention the decennalia, which was usually expressed in terms of the emperor's annual vows (vota) to safeguard the Roman state, the reverse legend indicates that Severus had undertaken new vows in anticipation of his vicennalia (20-year anniversary). The reverse type depicts him in the solemn act of sacrifice as he made these public vows. Unfortunately, he never fulfilled them. After falling ill while campaigning against the Caledonians in Britannia, Severus died on 4 February 211, a year short of his vicennalia. Please find here the video of the coin