OTACILIA SEVERA

Marcia Otacilia Severa was the wife of Philip I, though very little is known of the biographical details of her life. She may have been of noble Roman birth, as suggested by her name, though if so we can only speculate on how she came to marry the son of an Arab chieftain. She gave birth to their only son, the younger Philip, about seven years before her husband’s accession to the throne and was accorded the title of Augusta early in the reign. She enjoyed a generous share of the imperial coinage, with one of the six officinae of the Rome mint being assigned to the production of issues in her name. Antioch also struck antoniniani for her, though these are by no means common. Otacilia’s ultimate fate is shrouded in mystery. She was in Rome at the time of her husband’s defeat by Decius in AD 249, but it is unclear whether she was murdered by the praetorians at this time or merely permitted to retire into private life.

There are three principal varieties of obverse legend and two varieties of obverse type:

A. M OTACIL SEVERA AVG

B. MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG

C. OTACIL SEVERA AVG

a. Diademed and draped bust of Otacilia Severa right.

b. Diademed and draped bust of Otacilia Severa right, crescent behind shoulders.

RIC references are to the coinage of Philip I.