Here's the coin of the month...

Last month's coin of the month was a Roman Emperor, but Empresses were also common on Roman coins from the second through fourth centuries. Pictured above is a denarius of Lucilla, who was born in 149 to Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior. Lucilla's father became emperor when she was twelve, and at that time, she was engaged to the new co-emperor, Lucius Verus. In 164, at the age of fifteen, they were married, but he died of a stroke at the age of 38 just five years later. So at 20, she was already a widow! Being from an important family, her father soon arranged for her to marry again, this time to an even older man.

In 180, her brother Commodus became emperor, and a couple years later she conspired with others against him. For her part in the plot, she was exiled to the island of Capri where she was executed before long.

This is a silver denarius, the most common denomination of her era. The actual coin is about 18mm across, and weighs only 3.2g. At the time it was minted in Rome, between 164 and 166, they were made of good silver, but within 80 years, the denarius was first debased and then disappeared from circulation.

The obverse inscription reads LVCILLA AVG ANTONINI AVG F , giving her name and title. While the portrait is slightly worn, her elaborate hairdo can still be clearly admired. Roman empresses had a wide variety of hair styles pictured on their coins, so it appears that styles changed just as fast then as they do now, 18 centuries later.

The reverse inscription is easily read as CONCORDIA and celebrates her marriage to Lucius Verus. While their marriage did not last long, this coins has, allowing the admirer to learn about the rulers and intrigues from so long ago. But what is that little person holding Concordia's hand, you ask? It's Spes, the goddess of hope. It appears that the Romans were a little short on hope.