ROMAN EMPIRE

Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna, named after his maternal grandfather. Following the victory over the Parthians, his father named him Caesar and Princeps Iuventutis (198), while his brother Caracalla was elevated to co-emperor. He travelled across the Empire with his parents and brother. In fact, the whole family spent the winter of 202–203 together in Leptis Magna, their ancestral hometown. Sources speak of intense rivalry between the brothers, which this coin’s reverse attempts to counter by promoting the idea of family harmony. That message, however, failed to take hold; the situation worsened when Septimius Severus elevated Geta to co-emperor (209–210), placing him on equal footing with his brother. After the emperor’s death, Caracalla ultimately had his brother murdered in late 211.