ELAGABALUS (218-222). Denarius. Antioch.

Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: FORTVNA REDVX.
Fortuna, wearing polos, seated left on wheel, holding patera and cornucopiae.

RIC 189 var. (bust not cuirassed); RSC 47.

The polos was a cylindrical or quadrangular headdress, often in the shape of a tower or wall with arches, introduced from the East into the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, where it appears as a characteristic headdress of some deities, especially female. However, it is not a usual attribute of Fortuna, except in Eastern iconographic representations, as the Greek equivalent Tyche.

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 2.62 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.