Emperor Macrinus April 8, 217 to June 8 218 AD

Emperor Macrinus most likely had Caracalla murdered while he was near Carrhae preparing for war against the Parthians. Caracalla was worshipping the moon god Luna at his temple near Carrhae. The semilunar crescent is actually the crescent of the sun being obscurred by the moon. On a earlier post one can see a eclipse model having been made into an altar piece for the temple of Luna. The eclipise symbol seems to evolve on the coins of Macrinus. The star is present above the Roman Imperial eagle's right wing. The eclipise symbol lacks a star but is still clearly not a semilunar moon. Roman imperial power now overshadows the sun in this coin. The Severan women conspired to appoint the emperor Elagabalus to the throne. They used the authority of the sun god cult to their advanatage. One wonders if this coin would have been percieved as blasphemous to followers of the sun god as Roman power is now projected over the sun. Was this coin minted to show Roman power over the sun in the eclipse of Oct 218 AD. Macrinus never found out. He and his son Diadumenian were murdered in June 218 AD. Photo Athena Numismatics