Aquilia Severa, second wife of Elagabalus. 221 AD. AR Denarius (2.69 gm). IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG, draped bust right / CONCORDIA, Concordia standing left, holding patera and double cornuacopiae; star and altar before. RIC IV (Elagabalus) 225; BMCRE (Elagabalus) 185; RSC 2a. EF, light porosity. $495
One of Elagabalus' greatest offenses was his marriage in 220 to the Vestal virgin, Aquilia Severa, following his repudiation of his first wife, Julia Paula. The Vestals were under a solemn vow of chastity, but Elagabalus defended his behavior in a letter to the Senate arguing that a child begotten of the high priest of Ela-Gabal by a priestess of Vesta could be little short of divine (he, however, betrayed his true motive when he added that he was in love with her). She was, it seems, the one woman able to overcome his distaste for the opposite sex. But the Roman historian Dio spoke for established opinion when he described the violation of a Vestal as an act "for which he [Elagabalus] ought to have been publicly scourged, thrown into jail and put to death." The indignation aroused was such that Elagabalus was forced to yield and Aquilia had to retire after only a brief period as empress.
