One of the most powerful women of her time, and arguably, person of her time is how we will start off our entry as we continue our blog series following along with Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women on Coins. With help from author Ron Guth, we will discuss her early beginnings to her tragic ending and why her image has appeared on several coins in history.
#49 – Empress Julia Domna
Following the death of Lucius, her sons became co-emperors under Julia’s direction. However, power would take hold of the young men as Geta was murdered under the incitement of Caracalla. Caracalla would rule for six years until he was assassinated. Julia was beside herself, stricken with the deepest grief. Now alone and sick from a breast tumor, Julia would starve herself to death in 217.
Empress Julia Domna is featured on several silver and gold coins. She is referenced on some coins as Matri Castrorum, highlighting the accompaniment of her husband and her son (Caracalla) on military campaigns. Around 202 AD, she is shown on a Roman denarius flanked by both Geta and Caracalla with her husband on the obverse. Later coins issued during her guidance of Rome reference her as Mother of the Emperors, Mother of the Senate, and Mother of her Country. After the murder of her son Geta, Caracalla had a denarii minted that would feature the busts of himself and his mother on the reverse.
According to Guth, collecting difficulty of coins featuring Julia Domna ranges from easy to difficult. Roman denarii featuring the Empress in a sole capacity are more common and inexpensive. However, those depicting her and her two sons are more expensive.