Faustina I Orichalcum Sestertius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a

Monetary and Denominational Context

The sestertius represented the principal heavy base-metal denomination of the high Roman Empire, valued at one-quarter of an imperial silver denarius, two brass dupondii, or four copper asses. Introduced in its brass format under the monetary reforms of Augustus, the denomination was struck in orichalcum, an alloy of copper and zinc whose bright, golden appearance offered both high aesthetic appeal and immediate visual distinction from reddish pure-copper asses. By the mid-second century AD under Antoninus Pius, the imperial monetary system maintained strict standards of weight and metal composition, making the sestertius the primary vehicle for high-impact political, religious, and dynastic communication. Due to its broad physical diameter, typically ranging between 30 and 34 millimeters, and its substantial mass, hovering nominally around 24 to 28 grams, the denomination provided die engravers an expansive flan unconstrained by the tighter fields of denarii or aurei. The consecration issues for Faustina the Elder in AD 141 exploited this surface area to display intricate architectural and structural scenes that could not be rendered with equivalent fidelity on smaller silver fractions. The presence of the formulaic Senatus Consulto mark highlighted the cooperative constitutional facade maintained between Antoninus and the senatorial order, formalizing the legal deification of the empress within the state pantheon.

Production Technology and Mint Organization

Production of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a was centralized exclusively at the imperial mint of Rome. In the early 140s AD, the Rome mint operated with highly organized officinae capable of sustaining enormous output in gold, silver, and aes coinage. Metallurgical analysis of Antonine sestertii confirms the continued use of cementation brass, wherein zinc carbonate ores were combined with molten copper in closed crucibles. Flans for these large coins were cast individually or in open molds before being trimmed, heated, and struck manually between hand-carved iron dies. Engravers at the capital possessed consummate technical skill, modeling three-dimensional relief that combined lifelike portraiture with microscopic architectural detailing on the reverse dies. The alignment of obverse and reverse dies was predominantly set to a regular vertical or near-vertical axis, typical of second-century Roman mint practice. Because of the sheer mass of the sestertius flan, striking required powerful blows from heavy sledgehammers, occasionally resulting in minor peripheral flan cracks or slight double strikes along the outer borders, though the Rome mint maintained rigorous quality control over weight and planchet preparation for these prestigious commemorative strikings.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a displays the draped bust of Faustina the Elder facing right, capturing her distinctively aristocratic and mature visage. Faustina's hair is arranged in the celebrated coiffure that became an iconic fashion standard across the empire: waves and plaited bands are carefully swept upward from the temples across the sides of the head, drawn up tightly at the back, and gathered atop the crown in a prominent, braided chignon or round coil, often interwoven with strings of pearls. In this specific catalogue entry, she appears draped without a veil, emphasizing her divine yet accessible majesty. The die carving captures subtle facial contours, including a strong jawline, refined nose, and dignified expression, avoiding overt idealization in favor of identifiable imperial verism. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, arranged along the perimeter of the beaded border, formally naming her as both divine and an Augusta.

Reverse Design and Apotheosis Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a presents a complex, multi-tiered monument that represents either the imperial ustrinum, the massive temporary funerary pyre erected on the Campus Martius for her cremation, or a permanent commemorative mausoleum. The structure rests upon a broad, stepped plinth or base and rises in three distinct architectural stories. Each succeeding story recedes slightly in width, embellished with garlands, festoons, and hanging draperies, with the lower tier frequently detailed with central portal doors flanked by decorative pilasters. Crowning the uppermost tier, Empress Faustina the Elder is depicted driving a biga, a two-horse chariot, trotting or galloping to the right. Her mantle billows dramatically above and behind her head in an arching velificatio, an established classical artistic motif signifying swift celestial ascension and apotheosis into the heavens. In the fields flanking the monument or placed within the lower ground, the large letters S and C appear, while the single-word legend CONSECRATIO arches boldly above the structure.

Epigraphy and Ideological Epigraphs

The epigraphic program of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a is concise, direct, and laden with legal and theological weight. The obverse legend reads DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, employing the nominative case to identify the subject as the Deified Augusta Faustina. The designation Diva explicitly proclaims that she has undergone deification by vote of the Senate, elevating her spirit among the celestial gods of Rome. On the reverse, the single substantive noun CONSECRATIO stands as an unvarnished declaration of the sacred rite itself, the formal ceremony through which an imperial personage was transformed into an immortal divinity. Flanking the lower structure or positioned across the reverse fields is the abbreviation S C, standing for Senatus Consulto, meaning 'by decree of the Senate.' While the emperor initiated the proposal and funded the massive minting operations, the insertion of S C affirmed that the elevation of Faustina to divine honors was an act of state ratified by the Roman senatorial class, cementing public consensus and dynastic piety.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage, type 1135 represents the sestertius carrying the pyre or mausoleum reverse design combined with the DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA obverse legend. Variety 1135a is specifically defined by the bust of Faustina facing right, draped, with her hair elaborately coiled on top of her head without a veil. It is distinguished from variant 1135b, where the portrait is veiled. Modern die studies, notably Martin Beckmann's comprehensive analysis of the Faustina deification series, establish that the DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA issues were the immediate, primary group struck in AD 141 directly after her death, preceding the later, vastly larger series bearing the simplified legend DIVA FAVSTINA. The reverse design reflects the actual pyre witnessed by the citizens of Rome during the state funeral in the Campus Martius. Thus, RIC 1135a belongs securely to the opening phase of Antoninus Pius's commemorative program, struck during the initial wave of mourning and institutional deification.

Circulation, Hoards, and Deposition Patterns

As a prominent bronze denomination, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a circulated widely throughout the western and central provinces of the Roman Empire, including Italy, Gaul, Hispania, and the Rhine-Danube military frontiers. Because high-denomination orichalcum coins retained substantial purchasing power, individual specimens typically experienced decades of active daily commercial circulation. The consecration issues of Faustina were issued in extraordinary volumes, and their distinct imagery ensured that they remained familiar fixtures in everyday trade well into the Severan era. Archaeological recovery of this specific type occurs regularly in mixed second-century bronze hoards, urban destruction layers, and votive deposits across the European provinces. Many surviving specimens exhibit noticeable wear and edge smoothing consistent with prolonged transit from hand to hand over generations. Over decades of burial in diverse soil conditions, the high-zinc orichalcum metal developed characteristic green, brown, or black patinas, occasionally displaying localized surface pitting depending on soil acidity.

References

1. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces (Numismatic Studies 26). pp. 25-48
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 235-236, nos. 1429-1432
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1135a. ric.3.ant.1135a
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 165, no. 1135a
5. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. nos. 1205-1207