Démontrer sa légitimité : le lien dynastique dans les monnaies sévèriennes

Abstract

How does an imperial dynasty replace another? Every Roman civil war creates a new emperor who then has to ensure the legitimacy of his entire family to rule. The Severan coinage provides us with a means to study the strategies used by that family to present itself as the ruling dynasty rather than as a newcomers and usurpers. That process implies the publicity of the Antonine line’s continuation through the fictional adoption of Severus by Marcus Aurelius. The legitimacy of that renewed Antonine dynasty is then transferred to the Severan family through the divine maternity of Iulia Domna and the perpetuation of the ruling family. The Severans use their coinage to convey a double set of messages; the Antonines still rule the Empire and the Severans form the imperial dynasty.

Keywords

• Severan dynasty
• numismatic
• propaganda