Diva Faustina I Sestertius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa

Monetary and Political Context

The death of Annia Galeria Faustina, known to history as Faustina the Elder, in late 140 AD marked a pivotal moment in the domestic and ideological program of Antoninus Pius. Following her death, the Roman Senate granted her divine honors, declaring her Diva and approving consecration ceremonies, statues, a temple in the Roman Forum, and an extensive memorial coinage. Struck in 141 AD, the sestertius catalogued as RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa stands among the early wave of posthumous bronze denominations produced to disseminate the empress's new divine status. Within the monetary system established during the early Empire, the sestertius served as the principal large-format brass coin. Valued at four asses or one quarter of a silver denarius, it was the primary vehicle for public visual propaganda due to its broad flan. Antoninus Pius used this denomination not only to facilitate high-volume commercial transactions throughout the capital and provinces but also to project a carefully orchestrated image of imperial pietas. The consecration issues of 141 AD conveyed both personal bereavement and constitutional continuity, assuring citizens that the dynasty remained favored by the gods through the mediation of an imperial family rooted in traditional religious observance.

Production and Mints

RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa was struck exclusively at the imperial mint in Rome, which operated under strict administrative oversight to supply the empire with gold, silver, and copper-alloy coinage. In the Antonine period, sestertii were cast as thick, circular planchets before being struck between engraved iron dies. The metal used was orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy valued for its bright, golden hue, distinguishing the sestertius and dupondius from the pure copper as and quadrans. Typical sestertii of Antoninus Pius from this period exhibit target weights clustered between 25 and 28 grams, with diameters spanning approximately 31 to 34 millimeters, although individual planchets varied due to al marco striking techniques. Die alignment was generally set close to six o'clock or twelve o'clock, typical of the central Roman mint's mechanical conventions. The striking of bronze sestertii was carried out under the formal authority of the Senate, as indicated by the letters S C (Senatus Consulto), maintaining the constitutional fiction that the Princeps shared control over base-metal currency with the senatorial order.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa features a right-facing, draped bust of Faustina the Elder. Her portrait captures the aristocratic dignity and matronly sobriety favored in Antonine court sculpture. Her hair is rendered in the distinctive coiffure that became her iconic visual hallmark: waves and braids are dressed across the sides of the head, gathered neatly from the nape of the neck, and piled high into a tiered, braided coil at the crown. Thin strands occasionally escape to frame the temples and forehead, displaying fine die-cutting craft. The drapery covers her shoulders, falling in soft folds that suggest the palla of a traditional Roman matron. The absence of a veil on this specific obverse variant distinguishes it from subsequent consecration series, emphasizing Faustina's elevated imperial persona as August personified rather than strictly a mournful shade. The modeling of her facial features reflects idealized Antonine realism, portraying her with gentle, mature facial contours, an aquiline nose, and calm composure.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse type presents Pietas, standing facing left, fully draped and wearing a veil over her head. In her right hand, she extends her arm to drop grains of incense over the flame of a tall, lighted candelabrum-altar standing to her left. Her lowered left hand cradles an acerra, the small rectangular or cylindrical casket used in Roman religious rituals to store incense. The letters S and C flank the figure in the lower fields. The inclusion of Pietas sacrificing at an altar was a standard trope of Roman public religion, signifying piety, filial affection, and moral duty. In the context of Faustina's consecration, this imagery represents both the imperial house performing the required rites for the deified empress and the abstract virtue of Pietas mourning the deceased Augusta. The candelabrum-altar is slender and architectural, terminating in a flared basin that holds the sacred fire. Pietas's veil underscores ritual purity and modesty, contrasting with the unveiled obverse portrait.

Epigraphy and Legends

The obverse legend reads DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, running clockwise along the perimeter of the coin. This inscription clearly dates the type to the period after Faustina's deification in late 140 AD. The formulation DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA is historically significant; Martin Beckmann's chronological study of Faustina's posthumous coinage demonstrates that this legend was used in the earliest posthumous issues struck during 141 AD, before the mint transitioned toward simpler formulas such as DIVA FAVSTINA in later series. The reverse inscription reads PIETAS AVG, with S C placed across the lower field to the left and right of the figure of Pietas. PIETAS AVG abbreviates 'Pietas Augusti' or 'Pietas Augustae', attributing the virtue of piety directly to the Emperor or the late Empress. The letters S C abbreviate 'Senatus Consulto' ('by decree of the Senate'), marking the constitutional sanction under which Rome's base-metal coinage was struck. The lettering across both dies is executed in standard imperial square capitals, characterized by precise serifs and balanced spacing.

Typology and Chronology

In the numbering system of Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham's Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC III 1146 is subdivided into variants based on the arrangement of Faustina's portrait and drapery. RIC 1146Aa specifically designates the variant where Faustina's bust is draped to the right, unveiled, and paired with the reverse showing Pietas sacrificing over a lighted candelabrum-altar while holding an incense box. Variant 1146Ab features a veiled bust, while 1146B exhibits slight adjustments in legend placement or altar design. Paul Strack and Martin Beckmann placed this specific issue in the immediate aftermath of Faustina's deification in early 141 AD. Beckmann's die-link analyses show that dies bearing the legend DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA were among the first produced following the receipt of the senatorial decree of consecration. Over the course of 141 AD and into subsequent years, the mint reorganized its production into broad thematic cycles dedicated to Faustina's celestial ascent, her temple, and divine attributes, gradually replacing the initial DIVA AVGVSTA legend with shorter titular variants.

Circulation and Archaeological Evidence

As a principal denomination in daily commerce, the sestertius saw extensive circulation throughout Italy and the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Gaul, Britain, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian basin. Posthumous bronzes of Diva Faustina were issued in exceptionally large volumes over the twenty years between her death in 140 AD and the death of Antoninus Pius in 161 AD. Consequently, specimens of RIC III 1146Aa often remained in active circulation for several decades. Hoard evidence from across the European provinces shows that Antonine sestertii frequently stayed in currency until the monetary crises of the mid-third century AD, often accumulating noticeable surface wear. Because orichalcum possessed significant intrinsic value, older sestertii were occasionally cut, halved, or retained as bullion stores during third-century inflationary spirals. Surviving examples of RIC 1146Aa display the typical trajectory of Antonine bronze, ranging from crisp, high-grade pieces preserved in early hoards to heavily smoothed specimens recovered from river deposits and long-lived urban settlements.

References

1. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. pp. 22-38
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa. RIC III Antoninus Pius 1146Aa
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 165, no. 1146Aa
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. nos. 1205-1215