Faustina I Bronze As, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as)

Monetary Context and Denominational Structure

During the reign of Antoninus Pius, the Roman imperial monetary system maintained the stable trimetallic structure established by Augustus and reformed under the early empire. In this framework, the as formed the primary base unit of daily transactional accounting and physical small change. The aureus in gold and the denarius in silver represented the higher tiers of value, while the aes or copper-alloy coinage comprised the sestertius, dupondius, as, and semis. Within this hierarchy, the sestertius was tariffed at four asses, and the dupondius was worth two asses, making the as a vital medium for modest retail purchases, subsistence wages, and localized market transactions throughout the empire. Unlike the sestertius and dupondius, which were traditionally struck in orichalcum (a brass alloy of copper and zinc), the as was conventionally produced in relatively pure copper, though alloy composition could exhibit minor metallurgical variation in the mid-second century AD. The issue of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as) fits into a broader coordinated series of aes denominations struck during Faustina the Elder's lifetime. Struck with identical or closely related typological pairings across the sestertius, dupondius, and as, these issues celebrated the empress's elevation to the rank of Augusta following Antoninus Pius's accession in 138 AD. Base-metal coins carried the prominent reverse formula S C (Senatus Consulto), reflecting the formal, constitutional sanction of the Senate for base-metal minting in Rome, even though administrative and artistic direction remained under imperial authority.

Mint Organization and Production Standards

RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as) was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint located in Rome. During the Antonine period, the Rome mint was a highly structured bureau operating under the supervision of the procurator monetae, staffed by specialized artisans including engravers (scalptores), flan casters, heaters, and striking teams. Bronze and copper flans for the as were prepared by casting blank discs in open molds or cutting cast rods, followed by hammer-dressing to achieve roundness prior to striking. The physical characteristics of the as in this era reflect standard Antonine parameters: flans generally measure between 25 and 28 millimeters in diameter, with standard median weights centering between 10.0 and 11.5 grams, though individual surviving specimens frequently range between 9.0 and 12.8 grams due to antique manufacturing tolerances and subsequent circulation wear. Die alignment for the Rome mint in this period typically follows a regular vertical axis, commonly orienting at either 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock. As an unradiate base-metal denomination featuring an empress, the as is distinguished metrologically from the dupondius by weight, metal fabric, and flan diameter rather than crown attributes, since imperial women never wore the radiate crown used to distinguish the male dupondius from the as. Metallurgical studies of Antonine asses demonstrate that they were struck predominantly on copper flans, presenting a darker, reddish tint compared to the golden-yellow hue of contemporary orichalcum dupondii and sestertii.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as) presents a refined right-facing bust of Faustina the Elder, draped in a stola and mantle. The portrait captures the characteristic, trend-setting hairstyle for which Faustina I became renowned throughout the Roman world. Her hair is parted carefully in the center, waved horizontally across the temples, and gathered into narrow braided bands that sweep upward from the nape of the neck to form a complex, tightly wound circular bun or coil atop the crown of the head. This elaborate coiffure, often secured with delicate pearls or pins, was widely imitated by elite and non-elite women across the Roman provinces, as demonstrated in contemporary stone sculpture and funerary monuments. The bust is modeled with soft, classicizing planes that reflect the serene, idealized artistic ethos of the Antonine court. While maintaining recognisable personal facial features, such as a high forehead, straight nose, and gentle chin, the portrait projects imperial decorum, modesty, and maternal dignity. Because this coin was struck during Faustina's lifetime, her head appears without the veil (velum) or divine attributes that consistently characterized her extensive posthumous consecration series after early 141 AD.

Reverse Imagery and Religious Symbolism

The reverse design of the coin depicts Juno Regina, the supreme female divinity of the Roman pantheon, standing draped and facing left. In her extended right hand, Juno holds a patera, a shallow libation dish used in formal sacrificial offerings, symbolizing pious religious observance and ritual communion with the gods. In her left hand, she holds a tall, vertical sceptre, the quintessential emblem of divine sovereignty, royal majesty, and celestial command. Standing at her feet to the left is her sacred theriomorphic attribute, a peacock, depicted standing left with its head turned back to the right to gaze upward toward the goddess. The peacock held profound symbolic resonance in Roman state religion, serving as the celestial messenger of Juno and the avian guide that conveyed the souls of deceased empresses to the heavens, although here, in a lifetime context, it functions primarily as the living hallmark of the queen of heaven. The iconographical choice of Juno Regina directly assimilates Empress Faustina I to the divine protectress of the Roman state, family, and marriage. By invoking Juno's patronage, the coin affirmed the empress's role as the earthly counterpart of the goddess, providing an ideological foundation for imperial domestic harmony (concordia) and dynastic permanence.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The legends on both faces of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as) are rendered in formal Roman monumental capitals, carefully engraved along the outer borders within beaded rims. The obverse inscription reads FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII P P, expanding into Latin as Faustina Augusta Antonini Augusti Pii Patris Patriae. This legend is highly revealing of early Antonine dynastic policy. It proclaims Faustina's title of Augusta, which was granted shortly after Antoninus Pius assumed the principate, and explicitly defines her status in relation to her husband, naming him as Antoninus Augustus Pius, Father of the Country (Pater Patriae). The inclusion of P P provides a valuable terminus post quem, as Antoninus Pius initially declined the title of Pater Patriae upon his accession in July 138 AD, formally accepting it in early 139 AD. The reverse legend reads IVNONI REGINAE, set in the dative case to signify a religious dedication to Juno Regina (To Juno the Queen). Across the lower fields or flanking the figure of the goddess, the prominent letters S C appear, abbreviating Senatus Consulto (by decree of the Senate). The epigraphic execution is characterized by balanced letter spacing, well-formed serifs, and standard Antonine orthography, providing clarity and legibility for public consumption.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the typological corpus of Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham (RIC III), this bronze as is catalogued under number 1091. It corresponds closely to parallel issues across other metals and denominations produced during the same window, notably the aureus, denarius, and sestertius featuring the identical reverse dedication IVNONI REGINAE. Paul Strack, in his fundamental study of Antonine numismatics (Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts), placed this series firmly within the initial triennium of Antoninus Pius's reign. The operational date range of 138 to 141 AD is strictly constrained by external historical and epigraphic milestones. The start year corresponds to Antoninus Pius's accession following the death of Hadrian on July 10, 138 AD, and the subsequent grant of the title Augusta to Faustina. The acceptance of the title Pater Patriae by Antoninus Pius in early 139 AD establishes that specimens bearing P P in the obverse titulature were struck between 139 AD and late 140 or early 141 AD. The death of Faustina the Elder in the fourth quarter of 140 AD or the earliest weeks of 141 AD brought an abrupt end to her lifetime coinage. Immediately thereafter, the mint of Rome transitioned to producing an unprecedentedly massive series of posthumous consecration issues carrying the obverse legend DIVA FAVSTINA, rendering RIC 1091 one of the final lifetime base-metal types struck in her name.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

As an everyday low-denomination copper coin, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as) circulated widely across the central and western territories of the Roman Empire, including Italy, Gaul, Hispania, Britain, and the Danubian limes. In these monetized western provinces, the as formed the backbone of regional market activity, local tavern payments, public bath entrance fees, and small-scale trade. Unlike gold aurei and high-grade silver denarii, which were frequently hoarded in times of crisis and preserved in high condition, base-metal asses experienced heavy velocity of circulation. Consequently, surviving specimens discovered in river finds, urban excavation layers, and rural vici typically exhibit moderate to substantial wear, smoothing of high-relief hair coils, and dark green or brown patination resulting from burial in varying soil environments. Hoard evidence from Roman Britain and the Rhine frontier demonstrates that mid-second-century asses remained active in circulation for decades after their manufacture, frequently circulating alongside earlier Flavian, Trajanic, and Hadrianic bronzes down into the Severan era. The recovery of lifetime asses of Faustina I in archaeological contexts underscores how imperial portraiture and state religious messages, such as the devotion to Juno Regina, were disseminated directly into the everyday hands of ordinary Roman citizens and provincial subjects.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 173
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Methuen (1928)
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1091 (as). ric.3.ant.1091_as
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 159, no. 1091
5. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. Stuttgart (1937)