ELAGABALUS SELEUCIS & PIERIA, ANTIOCHBILLON, TETRADRACHM. (218-222) Obverse: AVT K M A ANTωNЄINOC CЄB. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.Reverse: ΔHMAPX ЄΞ VΠATOC TO B. Eagle standing right, head left, with wreath in beak and wings spread; Δ - Є across upper field, star between talons.Denomination: Billon Tetradrachm.Metal: SilverDiameter: 25.0 mm Weight: 11.77 g.Attribution: ΜcAlee 763; Prieur 252.Discussion: Elagabalus, also known as Heliogabalus (Latin: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus; c. 203 – March 11, 222), was Roman emperor from only 218 to 222 (ages 14 through 18). He was Syrian. Upon becoming emperor he took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. He was called Elagabalus only after his death.In 217, the emperor Caracalla was assassinated and replaced by his Praetorian prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. Caracalla's maternal aunt, Julia Maesa, successfully instigated a revolt among the Third Legion to have her eldest grandson (and Caracalla's cousin), Elagabalus, declared emperor in his place. Macrinus was defeated on 8 June 218 at the Battle of Antioch. Elagabalus, barely 14 years old, became emperor, initiating a reign remembered mainly for sex scandals and religious controversy. To solidify his power over the throne, he executed the young nine year old Diadumenian, the last survivor of Macrinus, by severing his head and mounting it in his home where he allegedly kept the trophy during his entire four year reign. (That's just plain sick).Elagabalus had just turned 14, and entering puberty; his voice was changing, he was getting zits, he probably smelled, growing facial hair. Yet he was now emperor over the largest empire in the world. He was the undisputed Caesar of the Roman Empire. What do you do with all the powers and pleasures of being the Roman Caesar if you were only 14? He just went nuts...Later historians suggest Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. He replaced the traditional head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter, with the deity Elagabalus. He forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, over which he personally presided. Elagabalus was supposedly "married" as many as five times, lavishing favours on male courtiers popularly thought to have been his lovers, and was reported to have prostituted himself in the imperial palace. His behavior estranged the Praetorian Guard, the Senate, and the common people alike. Amidst growing opposition, Elagabalus, just 18 years old, was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander on 11 March 222, who ruled for 13 years before his own assassination which would mark the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century. The assassination plot against Elagabalus was devised by his grandmother, Julia Maesa, and carried out by disaffected members of the Praetorian Guard.Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for extreme eccentricity, decadence, and zealotry. This tradition has persisted, and with writers of the early modern age he suffers one of the worst reputations among Roman emperors. Edward Gibbon, for example, wrote that Elagabalus "abandoned himself to the grossest pleasures and ungoverned fury". According to Barthold Georg Niebuhr, "The name Elagabalus is branded in history above all others" because of his "unspeakably disgusting life".References: Wikipedia. I am an annual financial supporting researcher in Wikipedia's ongoing effort to maintain an expanding knowledge database open and free to the World in their language. I use this information citing full reference to Wikipedia.Assessment of Condition: I will leave the coin's value to be determined by the Buyer based upon an assessment of the photographs and the discussion of the coin's relevance in history. This has a distinct bearing upon the rarity and difficulty of acquisition; and therefore price. I have professionally systematically investigated my entire collection over two decades knowing that eventually I would liquidate the inventory of many hundreds of specifically selected, attributed, verified, and researched coins. As the Buyer, in return you will receive a synoptic education (just the facts) in World history when the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding City States were all that existed of the World. Coins minted for an Augustus, Caesar, or Magistrate who ruled but one or two years is of far greater rarity and expense than for a ruler of ten to twenty years, hence the greater the value and higher the set price.Specific Details Regarding Our Transaction and Statements of FactAuthenticity: I guarantee each coin is in fact genuine as described. If a contrary evaluation is determined by NGC, CNG, or PCGS, within 30 days of purchase, I will refund your purchase price in full when presented with documentation, with the SELLER paying all return shipping.Coin Cleansing and Attribution: Each coin has undergone thorough research and attribution using the most up to date computerized databases and manual texts. A comparative search has been conducted for coins of similar condition recently sold at auction both within the United States and Internationally to establish a baseline price. Soiled coins will undergo a mild cleansing with an antibacterial soap and nylon brush. 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