Diva Faustina I Sestertius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138 to 161), the imperial monetary system maintained the institutional framework established under the Augustan monetary reform and refined during the Flavians. At the summit of base metal denominations stood the sestertius, valued at one quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses. Struck from orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy prized for its golden hue and resistance to wear, the sestertius functioned as the premier large format civic coin of the Roman economy. Its broad flan and substantial weight made it exceptionally suited for public ideological display, communicating imperial succession, religious piety, and civic benefactions to a broad spectrum of literate and non-literate subjects across the Mediterranean world. The sudden death of the empress Faustina the Elder in late AD 140 or early AD 141 prompted Antoninus Pius to request her official deification from the Roman Senate. The approval of her consecration initiated an expansive series of commemorative issues across all standard denominations, of which the sestertius was the most visually imposing everyday issue. The type catalogued as RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103 belongs directly to this initial phase of posthumous coinage, serving as a high visibility vehicle that linked the monetary authority of the state with the sacral legitimization of the imperial household.

Minting and Metrological Standards

The issue catalogued as RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103 was produced exclusively by the imperial mint in Rome, which handled virtually all regular bronze coin production for the western empire during the mid-second century AD. The manufacture of sestertii involved casting orichalcum planchets in open or two-part molds before cold or warm striking between hand-carved steel or bronze dies. While individual specimens vary in mass due to ancient batch-tallying practices rather than exact individual piece weighing, Antonine sestertii of this era adhered to a theoretical weight standard centering between 24 and 27 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 31 and 34 millimeters. Die axes for this series are typically oriented at twelve o'clock or six o'clock, reflecting the regulated practices of the urban mint. Metallurgical analyses of mid-second century sestertii indicate a gradual reduction in zinc content compared to early Julio-Claudian orichalcum, with secondary tin and lead intentionally added or introduced through remelting of older scrap bronze. The dies for this series exhibit the high classical cutting style associated with the central Roman officinae of the 140s AD, characterized by plastic modeling, delicate hair rendering, and proportional anatomical figures.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103 presents a draped bust of the deified empress facing right. The treatment of the portrait demonstrates the idealized naturalism typical of mid-second century Roman imperial sculpture and glyptic arts. Faustina's hair is rendered in the intricate, aristocratic style that became her signature visual attribute across the Mediterranean world: the hair is parted down the middle, waved along the sides in formal bands, carried back over the ears, and braided into a towering coiled chignon on the crown of the head. Pearls or thin ribbons are occasionally woven through the braided loops, symbolizing her elevated imperial status. Unlike some later consecration types that feature an all-encompassing veil or a stepped tiara, this variant emphasizes the noble coiffure in full clarity, retaining the domestic elegance that characterized her living portraits while elevating her features into an eternal, ageless dignity. The truncation of the neck is carefully modeled and rests above drapery that falls in soft, classical folds over the shoulder, projecting traditional Roman matronly modesty (pudicitia) combined with transcendent serenity.

Reverse Iconography: Aeternitas and Symbols of Immortality

The reverse design of this sestertius features Aeternitas, the Roman theological personification of eternity and cyclical renewal, seated upon an elaborate throne facing left. She is depicted draped in a traditional stola and palla that drape gracefully around her limbs. In her extended right hand, Aeternitas supports a small globe upon which perches a phoenix, while her left hand balances a long transverse sceptre resting diagonally across her torso. The phoenix on the celestial globe is among the most profound iconographic motifs of the Roman imperial cult: drawing on Egyptian and Greco-Roman mythological traditions, the phoenix was believed to undergo periodic death and spontaneous rebirth from its own ashes, functioning as a direct metaphor for cosmic resurrection, dynastic endurance, and the perpetual life of the deified empress in the celestial sphere. The sceptre signifies divine sovereignty and legitimate rule, aligning Aeternitas with primary Olympian deities such as Juno. The prominent letters S C appear in the lower field or flanking the figure, denoting Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate') and confirming senatorial sanction for the bronze issue and the deification honors it recorded.

Epigraphic Analysis and Legend Formulations

The legends on RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103 are notable for their austere simplicity and thematic focus. The obverse bears the concise inscription DIVA FAVSTINA, struck continuously along the perimeter without imperial titles, consulships, or patronymic lineages. The omission of the traditional living formula 'AVGVSTA' in favor of the single word 'DIVA' unambiguously designates the subject as an officially consecrated goddess of the Roman state pantheon. On the reverse, the legend reads AETERNITAS, appearing around the upper field above the enthroned figure. This inscription directly identifies the personification and proclaims the enduring theological concept underlying the coin's issue. Below the throne or divided in the lateral fields, the senatorial formula S C (Senatus Consulto) confirms that the coin was minted under the formal authority of the Senate in accordance with long-standing constitutional division of responsibilities for base-metal coinage. The lettering is rendered in regular, well-proportioned Roman monumental capitals with neat serifs, executed according to the refined epigraphic standards of the imperial Rome mint during the Antonine period.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within Harold Mattingly's classification system in The Roman Imperial Coinage, volume III, this issue is catalogued under number 1103 among the posthumous bronze coinages struck by Antoninus Pius for Faustina the Elder. While Diva Faustina issues were struck over an extended interval from AD 141 until the death of Antoninus Pius in AD 161, stylistic and metallurgical studies conducted by modern numismatists, particularly Martin Beckmann and Wolfgang Szaivert, place this seated Aeternitas with phoenix type in the earliest phase of the consecration coinage, originating in AD 141. The initial issues are distinguished by the concise obverse legend DIVA FAVSTINA, in contrast to later issues of the late 140s and 150s AD that frequently incorporate extended legends such as DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA or specific temple dedications (DEDICATIO AEDIS). RIC III 1103 is closely allied typologically with contemporary denarii and aurei bearing identical reverse motifs, reflecting a coordinated multi-denomination emission produced by the mint of Rome to inaugurate the public celebration of Faustina's celestial elevation.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Distribution

Following its release in Rome, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103 entered an active, empire-wide monetary network. Due to the high purchasing power and intrinsic copper value of the sestertius, these coins circulated extensively throughout the western provinces, including Italia, Gallia, Hispania, and the militarized frontiers of Britannia and the Rhine-Danube limes. Archaeological excavations and hoard analyses show that second-century sestertii experienced protracted lifespans, remaining in active circulation for several decades, frequently well into the third-century Severan and crisis periods until inflation drove heavy orichalcum coins out of regular circulation. Many recovered specimens exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear and edge softening, attesting to years of frequent commercial transactions. Additionally, the broad surface of the sestertius rendered these pieces susceptible to countermarking, secondary gilding, or piercing for use as protective talismans in provincial settings where the image of the deified empress was venerated as a benevolent protectress of women, family life, and fertility.

References

1. I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali: Vol. II-3, Antoninus Pius. Faustina I, nos. 12-16
2. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. pp. 35-58
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 160, no. 1103
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103. ric.3.ant.1103
5. Die Münzprägung des Kaisers Antoninus Pius (MIR 18). Type 1103