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Laodicea AE32 Meshoroer 149 of Elagabalus

_laodicea_AE32_Meshoroer_149

Lot No.3231. VF.

$ 975.

The Stone of Emesa was a meteor that was worshipped as the incarnation of the Sun God, Heliogabalus, for whom the emperor Elagabalus is known to history.

Elagabalus brought the Stone to Rome near the beginning of his reign in 219 AD, making a grand procession all the way from Syria to the Palatine Hill. (This coin may commemorate its passing though Laodikeia ad Mare.) After Elagabalus was deposed and killed, the Stone was returned to Emesa. It is not known what happened to it after that, though some have suggested that it is the Black Stone in Mecca, object of pilgrimage for millions of Islamic worshippers to the present day.

Varius Avitus Bassianus (218-222 AD), better known as Elagabalus after the name of his god, was renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to more closely be associated with his cousin Caracalla. (Rumors of Caracalla being his father were fostered in order to strengthen his claim to the throne.) As a boy he was consecrated a priest of the sun god in the great temple in Emesa. When he rose to power, he had the Stone of Emesa transported to Rome, and insisted that it be an object of public worship. His unpopularity grew as his cruelty, extravagance, and depravity alienated all segments of Roman society. The Praetorian guards assassinated Elagabalus -- only 18 years old -- and his mother Julia Soaemias in 222, and he was replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander, while the Stone of Emesa was returned to its temple in Syria.