Diva Faustina Sestertius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa

Monetary Context and Consecration

During the high empire under Antoninus Pius, the sestertius maintained its position as the premier large-format base metal denomination in daily use and public display across Rome and the western provinces. Struck in orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy possessing a bright, golden appearance when freshly minted, the sestertius provided coin designers an expansive flan for intricate portraiture and state ideology. When Empress Annia Galeria Faustina, known posthumously as Faustina the Elder or Faustina Major, died in late AD 140 or early AD 141, the Senate voted her immediate consecratio. Antoninus Pius initiated an unprecedented program of posthumous honors, including the construction of a temple in the Roman Forum, the establishment of the Puellae Faustinianae charity, and an enormous series of commemorative coins struck across gold, silver, and bronze. Sestertii of the Diva Faustina type, including RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa, played a central role in conveying the empress's elevated divine status directly to the general public, integrating theological renewal with civic stability.

Mint and Physical Production

The entire series of official imperial bronze coinage bearing the legends of Diva Faustina was produced exclusively at the central mint in Rome. Production relied on manual die-sinking and striking techniques typical of the mid-second century AD. Blanks were cast in individual or joined moulds using orichalcum, then hammered while cold or slightly warmed between hand-cut iron or bronze dies. The heavy flan of the sestertius, typically measuring between 31 and 34 millimeters in diameter with an average weight hovering around 25 to 28 grams, demanded robust hammer blows, often leaving minor striking splits along the perimeter. Die alignment on sestertii of this era was generally executed in a six o'clock (inverted) or twelve o'clock (medallic) relationship, though manual striking introduced occasional minor rotations. Die axes, weight distributions, and flan thicknesses varied moderately within production runs, reflecting standard tolerances rather than multiple discrete mint workshops.

Obverse Typology and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa presents a draped bust of the deified Faustina facing right. The iconography adheres strictly to the dignified posthumous portrait style established by master engravers in Rome immediately following her death. Faustina's elaborate and distinctive hairstyle is rendered with great precision: the hair is waved horizontally in broad, controlled bands across the head, drawn toward the back, and gathered into a high, circular woven coil resting firmly upon the crown. Her drapery covers the shoulders modestly, capturing the classic Roman matronal ideal fused with regal solemnity. Because this specific subtype bears the unadorned DIVA FAVSTINA legend without a veil, it represents an early stage of the consecration issues, where the empress is shown in idealized living beauty rather than concealed behind funerary drapery.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse displays Aeternitas seated facing left on a throne, fully draped in flowing vestments. In her extended right hand, she supports a globe upon which perches a nimbate phoenix facing right, while her left hand cradles a long transverse sceptre angled across her body. Flanking the seated deity are the large letters S and C in the field. Every element of this composition reinforces divine perpetuity. The globe signifies universal cosmic dominion, while the nimbate phoenix, a creature believed in Greco-Roman myth to periodically renew itself from fire, serves as the ultimate allegory for perpetual life and resurrection. The transverse sceptre evokes royal majesty and divine authority. Through this combination of attributes, the reverse assures the Roman populace that although the empress has departed mortal life, her essence and the imperial peace she symbolized endure endlessly among the celestial gods.

Epigraphy and Legends

The epigraphic program on RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa is concise, clear, and unencumbered by complex titles. The obverse reads DIVA FAVSTINA, running along the outer border. By omitting the customary living imperial titles such as AVGVSTA or maternal lineage, the inscription immediately asserts her deified condition as Diva, sanctioned by the Senate. On the reverse, the legend reads Aeternitas around the seated figure, accompanied by S C in the left and right fields. The reverse legend names the personification and ideological virtue embodied by the type. The formula S C represents Senatus Consulto, signifying that the bronze issue was struck under the formal decree of the Senate. This senatorial endorsement remained a legal hallmark of Roman base-metal coinage, underscoring collective aristocratic and public agreement in the imperial apotheosis.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Numismatic studies, notably the die-link and hoard sequence research published by Martin Beckmann, place the introduction of the DIVA FAVSTINA legend and the Aeternitas reverse types to the immediate aftermath of Faustina's consecration in AD 141. RIC III 1103 forms a comprehensive family of seated Aeternitas sestertii, within which subtype 1103Aa is distinguished by the specific combination of an un-veiled draped bust facing right and Aeternitas holding the phoenix on globe and transverse sceptre. Closely related variants, such as 1103b or those featuring veiled busts or different sceptre angles, were struck alongside or shortly after this issue. While the initial wave of striking began in AD 141, the commemorative types for Diva Faustina proved so immensely popular and politically useful that related issues continued to be produced in parallel with Antoninus Pius's regular coinage throughout much of his reign.

Circulation, Hoards, and Survival

Sestertii bearing the consecration types of Faustina the Elder circulated widely throughout the western Roman Empire, including Italy, Gaul, Britain, and the Danubian frontier. Because the sestertius was an indispensable denomination for medium-value civilian transactions, these coins experienced prolonged handling. Hoard evidence indicates that Faustina's sestertii remained active in monetary circulation for many decades, frequently turning up in Antonine and Severan hoards with significant surface wear. The durability of orichalcum ensured that thousands of specimens from the broad consecration series survived into modern collections, though well-centered examples preserving sharp detail on Faustina's intricate coiffure and the phoenix's delicate nimbus remain scarce. As an individual catalogue type, RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa exemplifies the high technical quality and iconographic consistency achieved by the Rome mint during the height of the Antonine golden age.

References

1. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. pp. 22-48
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 1103Aa. ric.3.ant.1103Aa
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 160, no. 1103Aa
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. pp. 85-98