Julia Soaemias Denarius (218-222 AD)

Julia Soaemias Denarius (218-222 AD) - Mother of Elagabalus and the Sacred Authority

In the dramatic and unconventional court of Elagabalus, few figures wielded as much influence as Julia Soaemias, mother of the young emperor. Though never an empress by marriage, she held the rank of Augusta and exercised extraordinary power over political, religious, and ceremonial affairs from AD 218 to 222. Her influence is immortalized in silver on the denarius, which features a standing female figure on the reverse, accompanied by the legend IVNO REGINA, a symbolic link between Julia Soaemias and the divine protection of Juno, queen of the Roman Gods.

Biography of Julia Soaemias

Julia Soaemias Bassiana was born around c. 180-185 AD into the influential Severan family of Roman nobility. She was the daughter of Julia Maesa, sister of Julia Domna, and thus niece of Empress Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus. This made Soaemias part of the elite Severan dynasty, connected to some of the most powerful figures in Rome. Her marriage to Sextus Varius Marcellus, a Syrian aristocrat and Roman senator, produced Elagabalus (born Varius Avitus Bassianus, later Marcus Aurelius Antoninus), who became emperor in AD 218 at the age of 14 after the death of Caracalla and a successful coup engineered by Julia Maesa. Elevated to the rank of Augusta following her son’s accession, Julia Soaemias became a formidable political and religious force at court. She is known to have encouraged Elagabalus in his religious innovations, including the promotion of his personal Syrian sun-god, El-Gabal, in Roman ritual practice, a move that shocked traditionalists but consolidated the Severan dynasty’s religious influence. Her life, however, ended tragically: in AD 222, following a coup that replaced Elagabalus with his cousin Alexander Severus, Julia Soaemias was executed alongside her son’s supporters, marking a violent close to her political career. Despite this, her legacy endures through coins and inscriptions that bear witness to her authority and influence.

The Coin: AR Denarius

The Julia Soaemias denarius combines portraiture, divine association, and political messaging into a concise yet powerful visual statement.

Obverse

  • Features a draped bust of Julia Soaemias, facing right, wearing the diadem and formal Severan hairstyle.
  • Legend: IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVGVSTA, emphasizing her rank as Augusta.
  • The portrait conveys dignity and authority, blending the refinement expected of Roman imperial women with subtle traces of individual personality.

Reverse

  • Depicts Juno Regina, standing with a sceptre in her right hand and a palladium (protective statue) in her left, symbols of guidance and protection.
  • Legend: IVNO REGINA, linking Julia Soaemias to the queen of the gods and reinforcing divine sanction for her influence and her son’s rule.
  • The imagery portrays her as a guardian figure, embodying both moral authority and dynastic stability.

Artistry and Symbolism

The AR denarius of Julia Soaemias exemplifies the dual function of Roman coinage as art and propaganda:

  • Dynastic Legitimacy – Featuring her portrait reinforced the maternal link to the emperor and the continuity of imperial power.
  • Divine Protection – The depiction of Juno underscores the sacred endorsement of Julia Soaemias’s authority and her protective role over the Severan dynasty.
  • Political Authority – The combination of obverse and reverse imagery conveys a carefully curated public persona of strength, dignity, and sacred influence.

The coin balances Severan realism with symbolic idealization, reflecting a period when women in the imperial family wielded tangible influence, particularly during the reign of a young and controversial emperor.

Legacy of the Julia Soaemias Denarius

While Julia Soaemias never ruled in her own right, her denarius serves as a lasting testament to her authority and sacred association. By pairing her image with Juno Regina, the coin communicates maternal power, dynastic legitimacy, and divine favor, reinforcing her central role in a court marked by theatricality, religious innovation, and political intrigue. Today, this denarius offers historians and collectors a window into the Severan era, illustrating how the power of women in Imperial Rome could be both public and symbolic, immortalized in silver for generations to witness. It reminds us that coinage in Rome was far more than currency it was a medium of propaganda, ritual, and dynastic storytelling, where even the mother of an emperor could assert her influence in the language of gods and symbols.

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