Why a web site devoted to Severus Alexander?  Who was this Severus Alexander person anyways? 

Great question.  Severus Alexander was Emperor of Rome from 222 to 235 AD.  A picture of him is seen on the top of this and other pages.  I believe he is a VERY underrated emperor.  Severus Alexander at the age of 13 took over the throne of the arguably the greatest empire of all time.  He didn't just rule with an iron fist or live life in excess, but instead tried to improve the empire and all those in it.  It can be debated how much he actually did and how much his mother and grandmother were really responsible for, but his reign was relatively stable and good for Romans. 

How is he special?  

Well, first look back at all the terrible emperors of Rome.  Let's just mention a few like Commodus, Nero, Elagabalus, etc.  After all the series of bad emperors along comes Severus Alexander.  He is young and kept on the straight and narrow by a very attentive mother and grandmother.  He is tutored by the finest tutors, counseled by great senators, appoints people of ability and trust to political positions, dismissed corrupt officials, tried to curb the power of army, discouraged people from paying him homage, frugal in all personal matters, rebuilt Roman morality (just read about Elagabalus to see what happened before him), reduced taxes, promoted trade, tolerant of other religions (especially Christianity), etc.  Wow... we could use leaders like that today!!

In reading about him, I grew to admire this young man who grew into the leadership of Rome.  This admiration grew into more research.  What frustrated me at times was the lack of centralized information on Severus Alexander and his coinage.  It is my hope to try to improve this situation with my humble web site.

So how did I choose Severus Alexander?  

Well, I've been a coin collector for many year, most of it US coins.  I then found the incredible world of ancient coins.  I collected various emperors, some Greek coins, some Byzantine.   I jumped all around.  I then decided to find a theme for my collection.  I was amazed at the variety, beauty and inexpensive price of coins from the Severan Dynasty.  I read about the various emperors of this dynasty and the more I read, Severus Alexander stood out above the others.  With Severus Alexander as my theme, I moved on to learn more about him and collect coins of his reign. 

What is the purpose of this web site?   

The web site's purpose is to provide information about the life, accomplishments, and coinage of Severus Alexander.  One of the best sources of information on Severus Alexander we have is the coinage that was minted by and about him.  Because of this and because I am a coin collector, a large amount of the information will relate to coinage.  There are a variety of web sites that devote themselves to cataloging coins of Severus Alexander and other emperors.  I have listed various sites that will offer you a wealth of coin scans for coin attribution on my Quick Info Page.    Because of these other sites more suited to common coin attribution, I have instead focused on rarer, unusual and noteworthy coins in my Coinage Area.

The Quick Info Page is there as a quick reference to facts, figures, history, etc.  It can be printed and kept as starting place.  I have listed my sources so you can read further if desired.    The Historical Area will cover historical issues with Severus Alexander, Historical References, and articles from experts.  I will continue to add to the Historical and Coinage areas, so please check back often.  

If there is a coin or series of coins of Severus Alexander you are interested in, please email me.  If I can provide you information on them, I'll be glad to either email you or possibly create a web page on that theme.  

If you need help in identifying a coin you have.  Please check out my Attribution Page.    Valuation can be found on my "How much is it worth?" area.

I'd also recommend you check out my References page to see what references you should get.  Many, including myself, believe that it is better to "buy the book before the coin".  You can learn what to look out for and save yourself mistakes in your purchases by buying and reading the correct references.

All recommendations to web sites, coin  references, and books are given because I believe they are great sources of information.  No one pays me to advertise for them.  All information on this site has been assembled to the best of my abilities.  If you find a mistake or oversight, please let me know.  

What isn't the purpose of this web site? 

The examples of the coinage of Severus Alexander on this web site are limited to rare, unusual, or what I have found to be interesting.  This site does not contain a large listing of more common coins for the purpose of attributing coins.   I have created an Attribution Page.  but it is more to show you how to attribute than to be a listing of coins.   Great listings of Severus Alexander coinage are on other sites noted on my Attribution Page. 

No information on medieval or modern coins is listed on this site.

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The contents of this site web site, including images, are for personal, non-commercial use only.  They may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the owner.