Diva Faustina I Sestertius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1108a

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

The sestertius occupied a central position within the trimetallic currency system established under Augustus and maintained throughout the High Empire. Struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper-zinc alloy, the denomination was valued at four copper asses, two orichalcum dupondii, or one-quarter of a silver denarius. In the mid-second century AD, the sestertius served as the highest-value base-metal coin in everyday circulation, functioning as an indispensable medium for domestic commerce, administrative disbursements, and routine civic transactions. Beyond its fundamental economic utility, the substantial physical dimensions of the sestertius provided the Roman imperial authorities with an expansive flan ideally suited for elaborate public communication. The death of Annia Galeria Faustina, known to history as Faustina the Elder, in late AD 140 prompted an unprecedented commemorative response from Antoninus Pius. Following her official deification by the Senate, large quantities of bronze coinage were commissioned to distribute her consecration imagery throughout the empire. RIC III Antoninus Pius 1108a belongs directly to this initial wave of memorial issues, utilizing the prestige and visibility of the sestertius to propagate the newly established imperial cult of Diva Faustina.

Production Standards and Minting

The production of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1108a was executed exclusively at the imperial mint in Rome, which held an effective monopoly over the regular striking of senatorial bronze coinage for the western provinces. The manufacture of sestertii in this era required substantial technical coordination, beginning with the casting of heavy, disc-shaped brass flans followed by hot-striking between manually engraved iron dies. While the nominal weight standard for the sestertius during the Antonine period centered around 25 to 28 grams with flan diameters typically spanning 31 to 34 millimeters, striking tolerances permitted noticeable weight variation between individual specimens. Dies were typically aligned in a vertical six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation, consistent with the institutional practices of the Rome mint. Engravers at the urban workshops exhibited high artistic skill in rendering the detailed coiffure of the empress and the drapery folds of both the portrait bust and the reverse personification, establishing an aesthetic benchmark that defined Antonine base-metal portraiture.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1108a displays the right-facing draped bust of Faustina the Elder, created without the veil that frequently appeared on later posthumous issues. The portraiture is characterized by an idealized yet recognizable naturalism, capturing mature features softened by imperial artistic conventions. A central focus of the obverse design is the empress's distinctive and celebrated coiffure. Her hair is rendered in elaborate waves drawn horizontally across the sides of the head, gathered neatly into woven braids that rise upward to form a substantial, tightly coiled bun perched atop the crown. This sophisticated hairstyle had become the defining visual signature of Faustina during her lifetime and continued to be rendered with precision on posthumous dies. The delicate rendering of the mantle over her shoulders complements the austere, elevated presentation of the newly consecrated diva.

Reverse Iconography of Providentia

The reverse of the type features the draped figure of Providentia, the divine personification of forethought and imperial foresight, standing facing left. In her outstretched right hand, Providentia supports a globe, a symbol of universal terrestrial dominion and cosmological order, while resting her left hand upon an upright vertical sceptre, denoting sovereignty and divine authority. Within the numismatic and religious discourse of the Antonine court, the presence of Providentia alongside the legend AETERNITAS articulated a profound ideological message. The combination underscored that Faustina's ascension among the gods was not merely a private tragedy transformed into personal mourning, but an event ordained by divine providence to safeguard the perpetual endurance of the imperial house. The physical globe serves to visually anchor this celestial promise within the terrestrial realities of Roman rule.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The obverse legend reads DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, arranged continuously along the circumference of the flan. The use of DIVA explicitly announces Faustina's deified state, formalizing her elevation to the Roman pantheon following the senatorial consecratio. Unlike some later, abbreviated obverse legends that read simply DIVA FAVSTINA, this full formula reflects the earliest stage of posthumous issues where her imperial title Augusta was prominently retained alongside her divine status. The reverse inscription is divided between the thematic legend and the constitutional formula. Across the upper perimeter runs the word AETERNITAS, invoking eternity, timeless celestial survival, and dynastic perpetuity. Flanking the standing figure of Providentia across the central field is the abbreviation S C, denoting Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). This formula affirmed that the production of bronze currency was formally authorized under the constitutional prerogative of the Roman Senate, even as the ultimate administrative guidance emanated from the imperial palace.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, type 1108a is categorized among the earliest posthumous issues struck for Faustina the Elder under Antoninus Pius. Stylistic and hoard analyses advanced by Paul L. Strack and Martin Beckmann confirm that the legend combination of DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA with AETERNITAS emerged directly in AD 141, the year immediately following Faustina's demise. RIC III distinguishes variant 1108a by its specific obverse treatment of the draped, unbelted bust facing right, contrasting with minor variants bearing veiled busts or slightly different portrait truncations. In Beckmann's comprehensive die study of Diva Faustina's consecration coinage, these early issues are shown to have preceded the massive, streamlined coinages inscribed simply DIVA FAVSTINA that were struck later in the 140s and 150s AD. RIC III 1108a thus represents a precise chronological horizon in the evolution of Antonine funerary numismatics.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Survival

Sestertii bearing the likeness of Diva Faustina entered extensive circulation across the Roman Empire, moving through commercial networks from Britannia and the Rhine-Danube frontier to the Mediterranean provinces. Because base-metal coinages in this era suffered prolonged wear in circulation, sestertii of Antoninus Pius and Faustina often remained in commercial use for decades, occasionally surviving in civic circulation into the mid-third century AD. Specimens of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1108a have been recovered from major European hoards as well as isolated urban excavation contexts. The heavy brass flans were durable, though subject to surface corrosion and countermarking depending on deposition environments. The high frequency of Diva Faustina bronze types in the archaeological record attests to the massive scale of the original minting operation, which successfully integrated dynastic propaganda into the everyday economic life of Roman citizens across generations.

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 1108a. ric.3.ant.1108a
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 162, no. 1108a
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. pp. 144-152