Septimius Severus sestertius Hercules and Bacchus very rare R2 (AU736)

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS (193-211). Sestertius. Rome.

 Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP III.
 Laureate head right.
 Rev: DIS AVSPICIB TR P II COS II P P / S - C.
 Hercules, holding club and lion skin, and Bacchus, holding filleted thyrsus and pouring cantharus; between them, panther standing left.

Hercules and Bacchus (Dionysos) were the titular deities of Lepcis Magna in North Africa, the home town of Severus.

 RIC 669. R2 very rare

 Condition: almost very Fine.

 Weight: 17.67 g.
 Diameter: 28 mm.

This type celebrates Septimius Severus’ accession to the purple with a depiction of the Di Auspices Hercules and Liber, who were the guardian deities of Severus’ hometown Leptis Magner. The divine augurs mark the beginning of a new era, which began in this case when Severus deposed Didius Julianus the previous year. Hercules and Dionysus later became the patron deities of Caracalla and Geta, and this affinity of the Severans to the two deities is reflected in their coinage.