The Story of Plautilla

Coins with the effigy of Plautilla were minted as of 202 AD, following her marriage to Caracalla, the son of Emperor Septimius Severus. The image and the inscription on the reverse of the coin celebrate their lavish marriage, arranged by the emperor and Plautilla’s father, Fulvius Plautianus who was also the Emperor’s first cousin, friend, and prefect of his Praetorian Guard. This was a limited mintage, hence its reach as far as Apulum is all the more interesting. Plautilla’s marriage to Caracalla was not a match made in heaven and was probably never consummated. After the execution of Plautilla’s father for high treason (205 AD), she was exiled to Sicily by Caracalla, along with her brother, both of whom were executed, probably hanged, six years later, immediately after the death of Septimius Severus. Plautilla was just one of Caracalla’s many victims; the latter died an inglorious death, being killed by a soldier sent by his Praetorian Prefect, Macrinus, while relieving himself on the side of the road to Carrhae (217 AD).

The Story of Caracalla’s and Trajan’s visits to Dacia

Caracalla most likely visited Dacia in 214 AD during his journey along the Danube frontier, following the victory over the Alemanni (a Germanic, barbarian population) in 213 AD. He traversed almost all Danubian provinces, including Dacia, before spending the winter of 214/215 AD in Nicomedia, a former Greek settlement located in modern-day Turkey. In Dacia, the exact route is unknown, but statue bases with a very special dedication have been discovered in almost all forts and cities of the province, likely in anticipation of the imperial visit. Apulum, the most important military and administrative center of the province and the governor’s residence, was certainly visited. Although we do not have a coin with his image in the exhibition, Trajan was the first Roman emperor to come to Dacia during the two conquest wars (101-102 and 105-106 AD). It is highly likely that he stayed here for a short period after the war to initiate the organization of the new Roman province. We do not know where he stayed or how long, but sources tell us that he received the head and right hand of Decebal from the cavalry decurion Tiberius Claudius Maximus in Ranisstorum, an unidentified location to date, but presumed to be in the area of the Dacian fortresses in the Orăștie Mountains.