Faustina the Younger RIC III Antoninus Pius 1408 (dupondius)

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

During the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138 to 161), the Roman imperial monetary system maintained the traditional denominational structure established during the Augustan reforms. Within this trimetallic framework, base-metal coinage played an indispensable role in daily urban commerce, tax payments, and regional trade. The dupondius functioned as the secondary denomination among the base-metal issues, tariffed at two asses, half a sestertius, or one-eighth of a silver denarius. While the sestertius served as the flagship medium for detailed imperial announcements and ideological monuments, middle bronzes—encompassing both the orichalcum dupondius and the copper as—absorbed substantial transactional velocity throughout Italy and the provinces. To assist the public in distinguishing between the similarly sized dupondius and as, imperial authorities had historically employed distinctive metal alloys and iconographic markers. Dupondii struck in the names of male rulers almost invariably displayed a radiate crown, whereas asses presented a bare or laureate head. For imperial women, who did not wear radiate crowns, differentiation depended upon metal composition and blank size: dupondii were struck in yellow brass (orichalcum), an alloy of copper and zinc, which contrasted with the darker red of nearly pure copper asses. In contemporary numismatic classification, distinguishing between an as and a dupondius for female issues frequently depends on confirming orichalcum content, as surface corrosion, patination, and wear can obscure original metallic color.

Production and Mint Organization

The entire regular production of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1408 took place at the imperial mint of Rome, the sole facility authorized to produce base-metal coinage for the central imperial administration during this era. Under the oversight of imperial procurators and mint magistrates, the Rome mint operated several specialized officinae capable of engraving dies, casting flans, and striking multiple denominations simultaneously. Production of the dupondius required the preparation of cast or punched flans made from orichalcum. While earlier Julio-Claudian issues occasionally maintained zinc concentrations exceeding twenty percent, by the mid-second century AD, remelting practices and alloy adjustments reduced typical zinc levels to between ten and fifteen percent, often with minor traces of tin and lead. Weight standards for the dupondius under Antoninus Pius hovered nominally around 11 to 14 grams, with individual planchet diameters generally ranging between 25 and 28 millimeters. The dies were manually carved by experienced engravers whose portraits captured delicate stylistic developments across the empress's youth. The flans were struck hot or cold between an embedded lower anvil die and a hand-held upper hammer die, with die axes typically aligned at approximately twelve o'clock or six o'clock, reflecting the regulated manufacturing standards of the capital.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III 1408 displays a right-facing, draped bust of Faustina the Younger. Unlike portraits from her later years as senior Augusta under Marcus Aurelius, this early type showcases the princess in her youth. Her profile features a straight nose, gentle chin, and delicate facial modeling characteristic of Antonine court portraiture. Her coiffure is rendered with exceptional precision. The hair is dressed in tight, parallel horizontal waves across the crown, accented by soft ringlets or curls descending along the cheek and behind the ear. At the back of the cranium, the braided hair is gathered and pinned into a compact, low chignon at the nape of the neck. This hairstyle represents an intermediate court fashion that transitioned away from the elaborate, towering braids popularized by her mother, Faustina the Elder, adopting instead an elegant, classicizing arrangement that became widely imitated by elite women across the Roman world. Her drapery covers the base of the neck and chest in neat, naturalistic folds, underscoring modest imperial propriety without diadem or stephane.

Reverse Iconography of Venus

The reverse of the dupondius depicts the goddess Venus standing draped and turned slightly toward the left. In her outstretched right hand, she presents an apple, while her left hand supports a long vertical sceptre resting on the groundline. Flanking the deity are the letters S and C, positioned in the lower left and right fields respectively. This composition draws directly upon classical Greco-Roman representations of Venus Genetrix and Venus Victrix. The apple symbolizes the prize of beauty awarded by Paris on Mount Ida, evoking feminine allure, divine favor, and romantic harmony. The tall sceptre emphasizes divine sovereignty, imperial majesty, and celestial protection. By selecting Venus for Faustina the Younger's coinage, Antonine designers achieved a dual symbolic aim: honoring the young woman's personal beauty and celebrating her union with Marcus Aurelius. More broadly, Venus stood as the mythological progenitor of the Roman people through Aeneas, investing Faustina's domestic marriage with vital political consequence for the longevity of the principate.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The obverse inscription reads FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII F, formatted as an unbroken circumscription beginning in the lower left field and running clockwise around the portrait. The epigraphy translates as 'Faustina Augusta, daughter of Antoninus Augustus Pius' (Faustina Augusta, Antonini Augusti Pii Filia). The explicit statement of filiation serves as the primary ideological mechanism of the legend, linking Faustina directly to the ruling emperor and securing the succession path of Marcus Aurelius. The reverse legend is concisely restricted to VENVS, positioned horizontally or following the upper curve of the border, accompanied by S C across the fields. The initials S C represent Senatus Consulto, signifying that the base-metal issue was struck by decree of the Roman Senate. While the Senate's practical administrative control over the Rome mint had become largely nominal by the high empire, the formulaic retention of S C remained an essential constitutional tradition for bronze and brass denominations, validating the public authority of the monetary issue throughout the empire.

Typology and Chronological Placement

The chronological window for RIC III Antoninus Pius 1408 spans from AD 145 to the death of Antoninus Pius in AD 161. Faustina the Younger was married to Marcus Aurelius in May of AD 145, an event that inaugurated extensive coin emissions celebrating Concordia, Venus, and Spes. Following the birth of her first child, Domitia Faustina, in late AD 147, she was formally elevated to the rank of Augusta. The presence of the title AVG in conjunction with the filiation ANTONINI AVG PII F places this issue securely between her elevation around AD 147 and the accession of Marcus Aurelius in AD 161, after which her legend shifted to reflect her status as wife of Marcus Aurelius (FAVSTINA AVGVSTA). Within the broader corpus of Antonine middle bronzes, this Venus reverse is shared across multiple denominations and metal formats, most notably appearing on asses and sestertii. Because dupondii and asses of Faustina the Younger share identical legends and designs without the radiate crown that distinguished male portraits, cataloguers catalogued them jointly under single entries in older works. Modern typological resources, including Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), catalog the orichalcum dupondius specifically as RIC III Antoninus Pius 1408 (dupondius), distinguishing it from parallel as strikes through metallurgical composition.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Site Finds

As an integral component of the mid-second-century base-metal currency pool, dupondii of Faustina the Younger circulated heavily across both western and eastern sectors of the Roman Empire. Archaeological excavation finds demonstrate extensive use in military camps along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as in major urban settlements and rural villa estates throughout Italy, Gaul, and Roman Britain. Due to the durability of orichalcum flans and the sustained intrinsic reliability of Antonine coinage, specimens of RIC III 1408 remained in active circulation for decades after their issue, frequently appearing in mixed second- and third-century hoards alongside Severan base-metal issues. Wear patterns observed in excavation contexts indicate that middle bronzes often circulated until their surface features were heavily smoothed. In coastal and riverine soil conditions, corrosion often leaches the zinc from the surface layers, leaving specimens with greenish or brownish patinas that require careful inspection to discern the underlying brass fabric from contemporary copper asses.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 340-343
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1408 (dupondius). ric.3.ant.1408_dupondius
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 191, no. 1408