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Geta
- Roman Caesar: 198-209 A.D. -
Roman Emperor
: 209-211 A.D. -
Bronze Denarius 18mm (3.17 grams) Rome mint: 202 A.D.
Reference: RIC 107v (Septimius Severus), BMC 754v (Septimius Severus)
PSEPTIMIVSGETACAES - Bare head and draped bust right.
SEVERIPIIAVGFEL - Sacrificial implements: Lituus, jug , knife and simpulum.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
Sacrificial implement:
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially
ancient Rome
and
Etruria
. His main role was to interpret the
will of the gods
by studying the flight of
birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make
as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of birds they are. This was known
as "taking the
auspices
." The ceremony and function of the
augur was central to any major undertaking in Roman society—public or
private—including matters of war, commerce, and religion.
The Roman historian Livy
stresses the importance of the augurs:
"Who does not know that this city was founded only after taking the auspices,
that everything in war and in peace, at home and abroad, was done only after
taking the auspices?"
A Simpulum , or Simpuvium , was a small vessel or
ladle
with a long handle from the
Roman era
, used at sacrifices to make
libations, and to taste the wines and other liquors which were poured on the
head of the sacrificial victims. The simpulum was the sign of
Roman
priesthood, and one of the insignia of
the College of Pontiffs.
The simpulum appears on a coin from
Patras
struck under
Augustus
. It is also placed before the head of
Vesta
, as a mark of that goddess, on a coin of
the Domitian
family, and is seen in the hand of a
Vestal Virgin
on coins of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty
. A man in a
toga holds a simpulum in his hand on a coin of Antonio Drusi. It is
commonly shown with the
lituus
and other sacrificial and augural
instruments, on coins of
Julius Caesar
,
Mark Antony
,
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
,
Augustus
,
Caligula
,
Vespasian
,
Nerva
,
Antoninus
,
Marcus Aurelius
,
Caracalla
,
Publius Septimius Geta
,
Volusianus
,
Saloninus
,
Valerianus Minor
,
Domitius Calvinus
and
Pontius Pilate
, as well as on many consular and
colonial medals.
An aspergillum (less commonly, aspergilium or aspergil )
is a liturgical
implement used to sprinkle
holy water
. It comes in two common forms: a
brush that is dipped in the water and shaken, and a perforated ball at the end
of a short handle. Some have sponges or internal reservoirs that dispense holy
water when shaken, while others must periodically be dipped in an aspersorium
(holy water bucket, known to art historians as a
situla
).
An aspergillum is used in
Roman Catholic
and
Anglican
ceremonies, including the Rite of
Baptism
and during the
Easter Season
. In addition, a priest will use
the aspergillum to bless the candles during
candlemas
services and the palms during
Palm Sunday
Mass. At a
requiem
, if a casket is present, the priest
will sprinkle holy water on the casket. The aspergillum can be used in other
manners where sprinkling of holy water is appropriate, as in a house blessing,
in which the priest might bless the entry to the home. The name derives from the
Latin
verb aspergere 'to sprinkle'.
The form of the aspergillum differs in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
. In the
Greek Orthodox Church
the aspergillum (randistirion )
is in the form of a standing vessel with a tapering lid. The top of the lid has
holes in it from which the
agiasmos
(holy water) is sprinkled. In
the
Russian Orthodox Church
the aspergillium is in
the form of a whisk
made of cloth or hair. Sometimes, sprigs
of basil
are used to sprinkle holy water. In some
of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
, no aspergillum is
used, but the priest will pour holy water into the palm of his right hand and
throw it on the faithful.
A jug is a type of
container
for liquid. The term jug can also be
used describe the breast of a woman, due to the fact that it holds liquid. It
has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has
some kind of handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any
watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay,
glass, or plastic
. Some
Native American
and other tribes created liquid
holding vessels by making woven baskets lined with an
asphaltum
sealer.
The lituus was a crooked wand (similar in shape to the top part
of a crosier
) used as a cult instrument in
ancient Roman religion
by
augurs
to mark out a ritual space in the sky (a
templum
). The passage of birds through this
templum indicated divine favor or disfavor for a given undertaking.
The lituus was also used as a symbol of office for the college of the
augurs to mark them out as a priestly group.
Publius Septimius Geta (March
7 , 189
–December
26 , 211
),
was a Roman Emperor
co-ruling with his father
Septimius Severus
and his older brother
Caracalla
from 209 to his death.
Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus by his second wife
Julia
Domna
. Geta was born in
Rome, at a time
when his father was only a provincial governor at the service of emperor
Commodus
.
Geta was always in a place secondary to his older brother Lucius, the heir
known as Caracalla. Perhaps due to this, the relations between the two were
difficult from their early years. Conflicts were constant and often required the
mediation of their mother. To appease his youngest son, Septimius Severus gave
Geta the title of Augustus in 209. During the campaign against the
Britons of the early 3rd century, the imperial propaganda publicized a happy
family that shared the responsibilities of rule. Caracalla was his father's
second in command, Julia Domna the trusted counsellor and Geta had
administrative and bureaucratic duties. Truth was that the rivalry and antipathy
between the brothers was far from being improved.
Joint Emperor
When Septimius Severus died in
Eboracum in the
beginning of 211, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint emperors and returned
to Rome.
Regardless, the shared throne was not a success: the brothers argued about
every decision, from law to political appointments. Later sources speculate
about the desire of the two of splitting the empire in two halves. By the end of
the year, the situation was unbearable. Caracalla tried to murder Geta during
the festival of
Saturnalia
without success. Later in December he arranged a meeting with his brother in his
mother's apartments, and had him murdered in her arms by
centurions
.
Following Geta's assassination, Caracalla
damned his memoryy
and ordered his name to be removed from all inscriptions.
The now sole emperor also took the opportunity to get rid of his political
enemies, on the grounds of conspiracy with the deceased.
Cassius
Dio
stated that around 20,000 persons of both sexes were killed and/or proscribed
during this time.
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