ITEM: Modern pendant with Septimius Severus denarius MATERIAL: Silver CULTURE: Roman PERIOD: 2nd - 3rd Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 21 mm diameter CONDITION: Good condition. Original coin within a modern handmade circular silver setting. PROVENANCE: Ex Belgian private collection, acquired in the 1990s (Coin) Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. COIN DESCRIPTION: SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS (193-211). Denarius. Rome. Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG. Laureate head right. Rev: P M TR P XV COS III P P. Victory standing right, with foot set upon helmet, inscribing shield set upon palm tree to right. RIC 211. Condition: Very fine. Lucius Septimius Severus was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 193 to 211 AD, marking the beginning of the Severan Dynasty. Born in Leptis Magna in the Roman province of Africa (modern-day Libya), he was the first major emperor of provincial, non-Italian descent, having a Punic background and speaking Latin with an African accent. Severus’s ascent to power followed the turbulent "Year of the Five Emperors" after the assassination of Commodus. A successful general, he used his military support to defeat two key rival claimants—Pescennius Niger in the East and Clodius Albinus in the West—a victory cemented by the decisive Battle of Lugdunum in 197 AD. This ruthlessness was a hallmark of his rule, as he purged the Roman Senate of his enemies and centralized power firmly within the imperial office. Severus's reign fundamentally transformed the Roman Empire into a military monarchy, famously advising his sons on his deathbed, "Enrich the soldiers and scorn all other men." He significantly raised the pay of legionaries, granted them privileges (like the right to marry while serving), and created three new legions, dramatically increasing the army's size and reliance on the Emperor. His foreign policy was highly active and focused on securing the frontiers. He waged a successful war against the Parthian Empire in the East, sacking their capital, Ctesiphon, and expanding the frontier to the Tigris River. Later in his reign, he personally led a massive military campaign in Britain, strengthening Hadrian's Wall and invading Caledonia (modern Scotland) to subdue troublesome tribes. Septimius Severus died in Eboracum (modern York, England) in 211 AD while on campaign in Britain. His final ambition—to conquer and secure the whole of Britain—was left unfulfilled, and his sons quickly abandoned the costly invasion shortly after his passing. He left the Empire to his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, hoping they would rule jointly. However, their fierce rivalry led to Caracalla having Geta murdered soon after their father's death. Despite this tragic failure of succession, Severus's reign brought stability after civil war and left a legacy of massive public works (like the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum) and significant legal and military reforms that paved the way for the later "Barracks Emperors" and the tumultuous Crisis of the Third Century.