A very interesting denarius of Julia Paula, the first wife of Emperor Elagabalus, struck at Rome during her remarkably brief period at the imperial court. Paula came from an aristocratic family and, following her marriage to Elagabalus in AD 219, received the title of Augusta.
Particularly significant is the reverse depicting Venus Genetrix – Venus the Mother. The goddess is seated on a throne, holding a globe and sceptre. This motif formed part of the iconographic programme associated with imperial women of the Severan dynasty and had previously appeared on the coinage of figures including Julia Domna and Plautilla.
In the case of Julia Paula, the image of Venus carried particular significance. As the newly married Augusta, she was expected to represent dynastic continuity, imperial marriage and the prospect of producing an heir to the throne. Her coinage also prominently featured Concordia, the personification of marital and political harmony.
The marriage, however, proved short-lived. Elagabalus divorced Paula around AD 220 in order to marry the Vestal Virgin Aquilia Severa, after which Julia Paula lost the title of Augusta and disappeared from public life.
The present denarius therefore provides an interesting testimony to a very brief dynastic episode, when Julia Paula was officially presented as the emperor’s consort and a potential guarantor of the continuity of the Severan dynasty.
Roman Imperial
Julia Paula(219-220, wife of Elegabalus), Denarius 219, Rome or Antioch mint
Obverse: draped bust right
IVLIA PAVLA AVG
Reverse: Venus seated left, holding apple and sceptre
VENVS GENETRIX
Diameter 20 mm, weight 2.88 g
