Description
Lucius Aurelius Verus, Roman Emperor of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty 161-169 AD, Silver Denarius (2.80g, 19.5mm), struck at Rome 166-167 AD. Obverse: Laureate head of Lucius Verus facing to the right, legend surrounds, “L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX”. Reverse: Aequitas stands facing to the left, draped and holding scales aloft right hand and cornucopia in left, legend surrounds, “TR P VII IMP IIII COS III”. Sear-5361; RIC-576; RSC-297. Well centred and a striking piece; despite a few letters poorly struck and a superficial flan crack forming, the obverse is a posing piece of numismatic art portraying the fine styled Lucius Verus, Extremely Fine / near Extremely Fine.
The obverse Latin legend reads “Lūcius Vērus Augustus, Armeniacus, Parthicus Maximus”, translating to “Lucius Verus Augustus, conqueror/restorer of Armenia, great conqueror of the Parthians”. The many military titles bestowed upon Lucius details his extended military campaign against the Parthian Empire, naming his reclamation of Armenia and his eventual victory against Parthia in 166 AD after King Vologases IV made peace and ceded western Mesopotamia to the Romans. The reverse Latin legend reads “Tribūnīciā Potestās septimum, imperātor quārtum, cōnsulāritās Tertium”, listing out the many titles Lucius held – it translates to “Invested with Tribunician Power for the seventh time, Imperator for the fourth time, and honoured with the office of consul for a third term”. Aequitas was the Goddess, or more accurately the personification, of the concept of justice, equality, conformity, symmetry, or fairness – her portrayal on coinage was possibly a commentary on the current political climate of Rome. After the death of Antoninus Pius in 161 AD, both Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, the late emperor’s adopted heirs, ascended to the imperial throne as a formal co-rulership; never before had the Roman Empire been formally ruled by multiple Emperors, and thus the portrayal of Aequitas may have been a statement on the equality and fairness of their co-reign.