SEVERUS ALEXANDER 222AD Pella Macedonia Pan Syrinx Ancient Roman Coin i48480

Item: i48480

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Severus Alexander
–
Roman Emperor
: 222-235 A.D.
Bronze 25mm (10.07 grams) of Pella in Macedonia 238-244 A.D.
Reference: Varbanov 3736; SNG ANS 3736
IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right.
COL IVL AVG PELLA, Pan seated on rock left, holding branch; syrinx before.

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Pan (Greek
Πάν,
genitive
Πανός),
in
Greek religion
and
mythology
, is the god of shepherds and flocks,
of mountain wilds, hunting and
rustic music
, as well as the

companion
of the nymphs
. His name originates within the Greek
language, from the word paein (Πάειν), meaning “to pasture.” He has the
hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a

faun or satyr
. With his homeland in rustic
Arcadia
, he is recognized as the god of fields,
groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the
season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of
theatrical criticism.

In
Roman religion and myth
, Pan’s counterpart was
Faunus
, a

nature
god who was the father of
Bona Dea
, sometimes identified as
Fauna
. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Pan
became a significant figure in
the Romantic movement
of western Europe, and
also in the 20th-century
Neopagan movement
.

In classical mythology, Syrinx (Greek
Συριγξ) was a nymph
and a follower of
Artemis
, known for her
chastity
. Pursued by the amorous Greek god
Pan
, she ran to the river’s edge and asked for
assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow
water reeds
that made a haunting sound when the god’s
frustrated breath blew across them. Pan cut the reeds to fashion the first set
of
pan pipes
, which were thenceforth known as
syrinx. The word syringe was derived from this word.

Pella (Greek:

Πέλλα), an ancient city located in

Pella Prefecture

of

Macedonia

in Greece

, was the

capital

of the

ancient

kingdom

of

Macedon

. A common

folk etymology

is traditionally given for the name Pella, ascribing

it to a form akin to the

Doric

Apella
,

originally meaning a ceremonial location where decisions were made.

However, the local form of Greek was not Doric, and the word exactly matches

standard Greek pélla “stone”, undoubtedly referring to a famous landmark

from the time of its foundation.

//

 History

The city was founded by

Archelaus

(413–399

BC) as the capital of his kingdom, replacing the older palace-city of

Aigai
(Vergina).

After this, it was the seat of the king

Philip II

and of

Alexander

, his son. In

168 BC
, it was

sacked by the

Romans
,

and its treasury transported to

Rome. Later, the

city was destroyed by an

earthquake

and eventually was rebuilt over its ruins. By 180 AD,

Lucian
could

describe it in passing as “now insignificant, with very few inhabitants”.

Pella is first mentioned by

Herodotus

of

Halicarnassus
(VII, 123) in relation to

Xerxes

‘ campaign and by

Thucydides

(II, 99,4 and 100,4) in relation to Macedonian expansion and the war against

Sitalces
,

the king of the Thracians

. According to

Xenophon
,

in the beginning of the 4th century BC, it was the largest Macedonian city. It

was probably built as the capital of the kingdom by Archelaus, although there

appears to be some possibility that it may have been

Amyntas

. It attracted Greek artists such the painter

Zeuxis

, the poet

Timotheus

of

Miletus
and the

tragic author

Euripides

who finishes his days there writing and producing Archelaus.

Archelaus invited the painter

Zeuxis
, the

greatest painter of the time, to decorate it. He was later the host of the

Athenian playwright

Euripides

in his retirement. Euripides

premiered here, about

408 BC
. Pella

was the birthplace of Philip II and of Alexander, his son. The hilltop

palace
of

Philip, where Aristotle

tutored young Alexander, is being excavated.

In antiquity, Pella was a port connected to the

Thermaic Gulf

by a navigable

inlet
, but the

harbor has silted, leaving the site landlocked. The reign of

Antigonus

likely represented the height of the city, as this is the period

which has left us the most archaeological remains.

Pella is further mentioned by

Polybius

and Livy
as the

capital of

Philip V

and of

Perseus

during the

Macedonian Wars

, fought against the

Roman Republic

. In the writings of Livy, we find the only description of how

the city looked in 167 BC

to

Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus

, the Roman who defeated Perseus at the

battle

of Pydna
:

…[Paulus] observed that it was not without good reason that it had been

chosen as the royal residence. It is situated on the south-west slope of a

hill and surrounded by a marsh too deep to be crossed on foot either in

summer or winter. The citadel the “Phacus,” which is close to the city,

stands in the marsh itself, projecting like an island, and is built on a

huge substructure which is strong enough to carry a wall and prevent any

damage from the infiltration from the water of the lagoon. At a distance it

appears to be continuous with the city wall, but it is really separated by a

channel which flows between the two walls and is connected with the city by

a bridge. Thus it cuts off all means of access from an external foe, and if

the king shut anyone up there, there could be no possibility of escape

except by the bridge, which could be very easily guarded..^[3]

The famous poet Aratus

died in Pella ca

240 BC
. Pella

was sacked by the Romans in

168 BC
, when

its treasury was transported to Rome.

In the

Roman province of Macedonia

, Pella was the capital of the third district,

and was possibly the seat of the Roman governor. Crossed by the

Via

Egnatia
^[4],

Pella remained a significant point on the route between

Dyrrachium

and

Thessalonika

. Cicero

stayed there in

58 BC
, but by

then the provincial seat had already transferred to Thessalonika. It was then

destroyed by earthquake in the first century BC; shops and workshops dating from

the catastrophe have been found with remains of their merchandise. The city was

eventually rebuilt over its ruins, which preserved them, but, ca

AD 180

,

Lucian

of Samosata

could describe it in passing as “now insignificant, with very few

inhabitants”

The city went into decline for reasons unknown (possibly an earthquake) by

the end of the 1st century BC. It was the object of a colonial deduction

sometime between 45 and

30 BC
; in any

case currency was marked Colonia Iulia Augusta Pella.

Augustus

settled peasants there whose land he had usurped to give to his veterans (Dio

Cassius LI, 4). But unlike other Macedonian colonies such as

Philippi
,

Dion

, and

Cassandreia

it never came under the jurisdiction of

Italicum
or Roman law. Four pairs of colonial magistrates (IIvirs

quinquennales) are known for this period.

The decline of the city was rapid, in spite of colonization:

Dio

Chrysostom
( 33.27Or.)

and Lucian
both

attest to the ruin of the ancient capital of Philip II and Alexander; though

their accounts may be exaggerated. In fact, the Roman city was somewhat to the

west of and distinct from the original capital; which explains some

contradictions between coinage,

epigraphs

, and testimonial accounts. In the Byzantine period, the Roman site

was occupied by a fortified village.

 The

site

 Urban

area

The city is built on the

island

of Phacos

, a

promontory

which dominates the wetlands which encircle Pella to the south, and a lake which

opened to the sea in the

Hellenistic period

.

 Palace

The city wall mentioned by Livy is only partly known. It consists of a

rampart of crude bricks (about 50 cm square) raised on a stone foundation; some

of which has been located North of the palace, and some in the South next to the

lake. Inside the ramparts, three hills occupy the North, and the palace is

situated on a place of honour on the central hill. Partly searched, it occupied

a considerable area of perhaps 60,000 square metres). The plan is still not well

known, but has been related to that of the city plan (see diagram).

The Pella palace consisted of several — possibly seven — large architectural

groupings juxtaposed in two rows, each including a series of rooms arranged

around a central square courtyard, generally with porticos. Archaeologists have

thus far identified a

palaestra

and baths

. The south facade of the palace, towards the city, consisted of one

large (at least 153 metres long) portico, constructed on a two metres high

foundation. The relationship between the four principal complexes is defined by

an interruption in the portico occuupied by a triple

propylaeum

, 15 m high, which gave the palace an imposing monumental air when

seen from the city below.

Dating of the palace has posed some problems: the large buildings could date

the reign of Philip II, but other buildings appear to be earlier. The baths date

from the reign of

Cassander
.

The size of the complex indicates that, unlike the palace at Vergina, this

was not only a royal residence or a grandiose monument but also a place of

government which was required to accommodate a portion of the administrative

apparatus of the kingdom.

 Hippodamean

plan

The city proper was located south of and below the palace. Designed on a

grid plan

as envisaged by

Hippodamus

, it consists of two series of parallel streets which intersect at

right angles and form a grid of eight rows of rectangular blocks. These blocks

are of a consistent width — each approximately 45 m — and a length which varies

from 111 m to 152 m, 125 metres being the most common. The streets are from 9 to

10 metres wide, except for the middle East–West arterial, which is up to 15

metres wide. This street is the primary access to the central public

agora
, which

occupied a space of ten blocks. Two North-South streets area also a bit wider

than the rest, and serve to connect the city to the port further South. The

streets had sewers and were equipped to convey water to individual residences.

This type of plan dates to the first half of the fourth century BC, and is

very close to the ideal in design, though it distinguishes itself by large block

size; Olynthus

in

Chalcidice

for example had blocks of 86.3×35 metres. On the other hand,

later Hellenistic urban foundations have blocks comparable to those of Pella:

112×58 m in Laodicea ad Mare

, or 120×46 m in

Aleppo
.

The agora holds pride of place in the centre of the city, occupying an

imposing 200 by 181 metres; 262×238 metres if one counts the potrticos which

surround it on all sides.

 Archaeology

Based on the descriptions provided by

Titus Livius

, the site was explored by 19th-century voyagers including

Holand, Pouqueville, Beaujour, Cousinéry, Delacoulonche, Hahn, Glotz and Struck.

The first excavation was begun by G. Oikonomos in 1914–15. The modern systematic

exploration of the site began in 1953 and full excavation was being done in

1957. The first series of campaigns were completed in 1963, more excavations

following in 1980. These digs continue in the section identified as the agora.

In February 2006, a farmer accidentally uncovered the largest tomb ever found

in Greece. The names of the noble

ancient Macedonian

family are still on inscriptions and painted sculptures

and walls have survived. The tomb dates to the

2nd

or 3rd century BC, following the rule of Alexander the Great.^[6]

Archaeological digs in progress since 1957 have uncovered a small part of the

city, which was made rich by Alexander and his heirs. The large agora or market

was surrounded by the shaded colonnades of

stoae, and streets

of enclosed houses with frescoed walls round inner courtyards. The first

wall murals imitating perspective views ever seen were on

walls at Pella. There are

temples

to Aphrodite
,

Demeter
and

Cybele
, and

Pella’s pebble-mosaic floors, dating after the lifetime of Alexander, are

famous: some reproduce Greek paintings; one shows a lion-griffin attacking a

stag, a familiar motif also of

Scythian

art, another depicts

Dionysus

riding a leopard.

Aurelius Severus Alexander (October 1, 208–March 18, 235 AD), commonly

called Alexander Severus, was the last

Roman emperor

(11 March 222–235) of the

Severan dynasty

. Alexander Severus succeeded his cousin,

Elagabalus

upon the latter’s assassination in 222 AD, and was ultimately assassinated

himself, marking the

epoch event

for the

Crisis of the Third Century

—nearly fifty years of disorder, Roman civil

wars, economic chaos, regional rebellions, and external threats that brought the

Empire to near-collapse.

Alexander Severus was the

heir

apparent
to his cousin, the eighteen-year-old Emperor who had been murdered

along with his mother by his own guards—and as a mark of contempt, had their

remains cast into the

Tiber river

. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and

powerful Julia Maesa

, who had arranged for Elagabalus’ acclamation as Emperor by the

famed

Third Gallic Legion

.

A rumor of Alexander’s death circulated, triggering the assassination of

Elagabalus.

Alexander’s reign was marked by troubles. In military conflict against the

rising

Sassanid Empire

, there are mixed accounts, though the Sassanid threat was

checked. However, when campaigning against

Germanic tribes

of

Germania
,

Alexander Severus apparently alienated his legions by trying diplomacy and

bribery, and they assassinated him.

 Life

Alexander was born with the name Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus.

Alexander’s father,

Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus

was a Syrian

Promagistrate

. His mother

Julia Avita Mamaea

was the second daughter of

Julia

Maesa
and Syrian noble

Julius Avitus

and maternal aunt of Emperor

Elagabalus
.

He had an elder sister called Theoclia and little is known about her.

Alexander’s maternal great-aunt was empress

Julia

Domna
(also Maesa’s younger sister) and his great-uncle in marriage was

emperor Lucius

Septimius Severus

. Emperors

Caracalla

and

Publius Septimius Geta

, were his mother’s maternal cousins. In 221,

Alexander’s grandmother, Maesa, persuaded the emperor to adopt his cousin as

successor and make him

Caesar

and Bassianus changed his name to Alexander. In the following

year, on March 11, Elagabalus was murdered, and Alexander was proclaimed emperor

by the

Praetorians

and accepted by the Senate.

When Alexander became emperor, he was young, amiable, well-meaning, and

entirely under the dominion of his mother. Julia Mamaea was a woman of many

virtues, and she surrounded the young emperor with wise counsellors. She watched

over the development of her son’s character and improved the tone of the

administration. On the other hand, she was inordinately jealous. She also

alienated the army by extreme parsimony, and neither she nor her son were strong

enough to impose military discipline. Mutinies became frequent in all parts of

the empire; to one of them the life of the jurist and praetorian praefect

Ulpian
was

sacrificed; another compelled the retirement of

Cassius

Dio
from his command.

On the whole, however, the reign of Alexander was prosperous until the rise,

in the east, of the

Sassanids

. Of the war that followed there are various accounts. (Mommsen

leans to that which is least favourable to the Romans). According to Alexander’s

own dispatch to the senate, he gained great victories. At all events, though the

Sassanids were checked for the time, the conduct of the Roman army showed an

extraordinary lack of discipline. The emperor returned to

Rome and celebrated

a triumph in 233.

The following year he was called to face German invaders in

Gaul, who had

breached the Rhine frontier in several places, destroying forts and over-running

the countryside. Alexander mustered his forces, bringing legions from the

eastern provinces, and crossed the Rhine into Germany on a pontoon bridge.

Initially he attempted to buy the German tribes off, so as to gain time. Whether

this was a wise policy or not, it caused the Roman legionaries to look down on

their emperor as one who was prepared to commit unsoldierly conduct.

Herodian

says “in their opinion Alexander showed no honourable intention to pursue the

war and preferred a life of ease, when he should have marched out to punish the

Germans for their previous insolence”. These circumstances drove the army to

look for a new leader. They chose

Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus

, a Thracian soldier who had worked his way up

through the ranks.

Following the nomination of Maximinus as emperor, Alexander was slain (on

either March 18 or March 19, 235), together with his mother, in a mutiny of the

Primigenia Legio XXII

. These assassinations secured the throne for

Maximinus.

The death of Alexander is considered as the end of the Principate

system established by

Augustus
.

Although the Principate continued in theory until the reign of

Diocletian
,

Alexander Severus’ death signalled the beginning of the chaotic period known as

the

Crisis of the Third Century

which weakened the empire considerably.

 Legacy

Alexander was the last of the Syrian emperors. Under the influence of his

mother, he did much to improve the morals and condition of the people. His

advisers were men like the famous jurist Ulpian, the historian Cassius Dio and a

select board of sixteen senators; a municipal council of fourteen assisted the

urban praefect in administering the affairs of the fourteen districts of Rome.

The luxury and extravagance that had formerly been so prevalent at the court

were put down; the standard of the coinage was raised; taxes were lightened;

literature, art and science were encouraged; the lot of the soldiers was

improved; and, for the convenience of the people, loan offices were instituted

for lending money at a moderate rate of interest.

In religious matters Alexander preserved an open mind. It is said that he was

desirous of erecting a temple to the

founder of

Christianity
, but was dissuaded by the pagan priests.

 Marriage

Alexander was married three times. His most famous wife was

Sallustia Orbiana

,

, whom he married in 225. He divorced and exiled her in 227,

after her father,

Seius Sallustius

, was executed for attempting to assassinate the emperor.

Another wife was Sulpicia Memmia. Her father was a man of consular rank; her

grandfather’s name was Catulus.