Julia Paula Denarius (219-220 AD) - First Wife of Elagabalus and the Chaos of the Severan Court

Roman history often remembers its emperors, yet the women beside them left their own indelible marks on politics, culture, and even coinage. Among these figures is Julia Cornelia Paula, a noblewoman of distinguished heritage who briefly rose to the pinnacle of Roman society as Augusta, and whose image endures on a rare and captivating silver denarius struck during her short tenure alongside the controversial emperor Elagabalus.

A Noble Birth and Distinguished Lineage

Born into the patrician gens Cornelia, Paula inherited a legacy steeped in Roman aristocratic tradition. Her father, Julius Paulus, was an eminent jurist and later praetorian prefect, one of the most powerful offices in the empire. Though her exact birthdate remains unknown, Paula’s upbringing reflected her family’s elite status: educated, well-connected, and prepared to assume a role befitting her rank. Her marriage to Elagabalus was as much a political alliance as a personal union, carefully orchestrated by the emperor’s influential grandmother, Julia Maesa, to stabilize the young ruler’s position and integrate him with Rome’s traditional aristocracy.

Marriage and Rise to Augusta

In AD 219, Julia Paula was wed to Elagabalus in a grand ceremony in Rome. Upon her marriage, she received the title Augusta, elevating her to the highest female rank in the empire. As Augusta, Paula became a public symbol of dynastic continuity, legitimacy, and social order, visible not only at court ceremonies but also in coinage issued across the empire. Her marriage and imperial status were short-lived, however; by late AD 220, Elagabalus divorced her in favor of marrying Aquilia Severa, a Vestal Virgin, in an act that scandalized Roman society and reflected the emperor’s controversial religious priorities. Paula’s fate after the divorce remains unknown, but it appears she retired quietly to private life, disappearing from historical record.

The Coin: Silver Testament to Status and Ideology

Paula’s brief reign as Augusta is immortalized in silver on the denarius catalogued as RIC 222, struck in Rome around AD 219-220. On the obverse, a draped bust of Julia Paula faces right, her hair arranged in the elaborate fashion of Severan aristocratic women, and the legend IVLIA PAVLA AVG proclaims her rank and imperial authority. The portrait balances idealized beauty with noble gravitas, conveying dignity, composure, and the virtues expected of an empress. On the reverse, the coin depicts Venus Genetrix, seated gracefully and holding symbols of authority such as a sceptre or patera, often accompanied by a globe to signify dominion and universal order. The legend VENVS GENETRIX links Paula to Rome’s mythological and dynastic lineage, subtly asserting divine sanction for her role as Augusta. The imagery conveys multiple layers of meaning: dynastic legitimacy, fertility and continuity, and political messaging designed to project harmony and stability during a reign otherwise marked by Elagabalus’s controversial behaviour.

Artistry and Political Messaging

The denarius of Julia Paula exemplifies the artistry and propaganda of Severan coinage. The obverse portrait presents her as serene yet authoritative, while the reverse invokes divine favor and family heritage. In a time of political turbulence, the coin’s circulation helped reinforce the public image of a harmonious imperial household, linking the empress to divine ancestry and presenting her as a stabilizing figure amid the emperor’s unconventional court.

Legacy of Julia Paula

Though her time as empress was brief, Julia Paula’s denarius survives as a tangible testament to her elevated position and the political strategies of the Severan dynasty. It reflects how imperial women were celebrated and used to project legitimacy and dynastic continuity. Beyond its material value, the coin captures a fleeting moment in Roman history when a young noblewoman became Augusta, aligned with one of Rome’s most controversial emperors, and symbolically embodied ideals of divinity, fertility, and imperial unity. Today, it serves as both a historical document and a work of art, offering collectors and historians a window into the life of an empress whose public presence was brief but carefully curated, and whose story, like the coin itself, has endured across centuries.