Julia Maesa, Alexandria Mint 219 AD

The above coin demonstrates that the Roman population of Alexandria, Egypt was well aware of the mechanism of the solar eclipse of 218 AD. The obverse is a bust of Julia Maesa. The reverse displays a bust of the moon goddess Selene. The reverse also has a pellet and crescent which most likely is representative of the solar eclipse of 218 AD seen over Alexandria. The crescent is solar and the pellet is the moon. Selene obscurs the sun. This coin is very important because Alexandria was the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire with a vast library of ancient knowledge. The Romans were very smart at understanding the physical mechanisms of the heavens and they always believed they were ultimately under the control of higher life forms. This coin most likely would not have been minted in less educated Roman cities. The empire would have taken advantage of the poor and uneducated to promote their agenda. Photo Praefectus Coins