Faustina I Gold Aureus RIC III Antoninus Pius 372

Monetary Context and Consecration Coinage

The reign of Antoninus Pius represented an era of remarkable fiscal consolidation and economic stability within the Roman Empire. Central to the imperial monetary system was the gold aureus, which served as the cornerstone of fiscal administration, imperial donatives, military compensation, and institutional savings. Struck at a theoretical weight standard of 1/45th of a Roman pound (libra), yielding an average mass between 7.2 and 7.3 grams of exceptionally pure gold, the aureus maintained an intrinsic value that bolstered commercial confidence across the Mediterranean basin and northern frontiers. In late autumn of AD 141, Empress Faustina the Elder died unexpectedly, prompting profound public mourning from her husband and an immediate decree of deification by the Senate. Consecration was accompanied by the construction of a major temple in the Forum Romanum, the institution of a charitable foundation for orphan girls termed the Puellae Faustinianae, and the initiation of an unprecedentedly massive series of commemorative coins across all metals. Type RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 represents one of the initial gold emissions authorized in this context. Rather than utilizing the traditional post-mortem consecration reverses such as the pyre, the peacock, or an eagle carrying the empress to the heavens, this type paired Faustina's consecrated persona directly with Fortuna, emphasizing that the emperor's providential rule and the auspicious destiny of the Roman state endured under divine protection.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

During the mid-second century AD, imperial gold production was exclusively concentrated at the central mint of Rome. The mint operated under the direct oversight of the rationalis and imperial procurators, organized into distinct officinae that managed discrete metallurgical and administrative tasks. The production of RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 followed the rigorous technical parameters typical of the Antonine gold series. Fine gold bullion was cast into spherical or hemispherical blank flans, carefully adjusted to the prescribed weight, and subsequently heated to maximize ductility prior to striking between hand-carved intaglio dies. The die-cutters at the Rome mint exhibited exceptional artistic mastery during this period. Portrait dies for Diva Faustina were executed with fluid naturalism, creating deep relief and crisp rendering of complex textural details, particularly the braided coils and woven waves of the empress's hair. Surviving specimens across related dies demonstrate tight adherence to weight standards, generally clustering within 7.15 to 7.35 grams, alongside a standardized die alignment that typically favored an upright or slightly offset orientation (around 6 or 12 o'clock), reflective of mechanical collar guides or careful manual die pairing by mint operatives.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 features a dignified right-facing bust of Faustina the Elder, draped at the shoulders and truncation. The iconography captures the distinct personal aesthetic that Faustina popularized during her lifetime and which became a hallmark of Antonine dynastic art. Her hair is arranged in elaborate waves radiating from the forehead across the temples in several distinct loops, drawn smoothly backward, and coiled into a large, braided bun secured flat atop the crown of the head. In this specific catalogue entry, the portrait depicts her without a veil, emphasizing her regal beauty and timeless divine presence rather than the solemnity of mourning. The rendering of the drapery is treated with classical grace, showing the soft folds of the stola gathered around the neckline. The clean truncation harmonizes with the circular inscription, framing the portrait within a delicately beaded border. The naturalistic facial modeling features a straight nasal bridge, softly contoured cheeks, and calm, serene expression, translating the late empress from an earthly consort into a permanent celestial protector of the Antonine regime.

Reverse Iconography: Fortuna and Cosmic Order

The reverse of the coin presents a full-length, draped figure of the goddess Fortuna standing left. In her right hand, which is extended outward, she holds a patera, the shallow libation saucer fundamental to Roman sacrificial ritual. In her left hand, held vertically at her side, she balances a maritime rudder that rests upon a spherical globe positioned at her feet. This compositional pairing combines several dense theological and political symbols. While Fortuna was traditionally depicted holding a cornucopia to symbolize abundance, her portrayal with a patera emphasizes piety (pietas) and ritual sacrifice, suggesting that divine favor is maintained through the continuing religious devotions of the emperor and the Roman state. The rudder signifies governing guidance and divine direction across human affairs, while the globe denotes universal dominion, articulating Rome's cosmic authority. By situating Fortuna on the reverse of a consecration aureus, the mint communicated that the elevation of Diva Faustina reinforced the good fortune of the state and guaranteed the perpetual stability of Antoninus Pius's administration.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Meaning

The legends on RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 are characterized by extreme brevity and clarity, abandoning the elaborate lists of imperial offices, consulships, and tribunician dates typical of regular imperial issues. The obverse legend reads DIVA FAVSTINA, struck continuously along the perimeter from lower left to lower right. The simple dative or nominative title DIVA proclaims her formal apotheosis by the Senate, an honor conferred only upon deceased imperial figures who were officially received among the gods of the state pantheon. The reverse legend is confined to the single word AVGVSTA, positioned neatly along the left and right fields or curving over the head of Fortuna. Unlike living empresses who carried the title Augusta as an active dynastic rank, on consecration coins this title assumed a dual significance, denoting both Faustina's eternal status and the protective majesty of the imperial house. The clean, uncrowded lettering displays classical second-century Roman epigraphy, utilizing crisp serifs, proportional letter heights, and uniform spacing that framed the high-relief figures without distracting from the central imagery.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the structural framework established by Harold Mattingly in The Roman Imperial Coinage and further refined by Paul Strack and Philip Hill, the consecration coinage of Faustina the Elder is divided into successive stylistic and epigraphic phases. The earliest post-mortem issues began immediately in late AD 141, marked by the concise obverse legend DIVA FAVSTINA. Later issues, especially those continuing into the late 140s and 150s AD, often employed longer inscriptions, such as DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, or depicted the empress veiled. RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 is firmly placed within the primary group struck in AD 141. Within this type, slight die engraving variations are known to exist regarding the exact positioning of Fortuna's drapery, the angle of the rudder, and whether the patera is held horizontally or tipped in libation. However, all variations retain the fundamental iconographic core: draped bust right on the obverse, and Fortuna standing left with patera and rudder on globe on the reverse, accompanied by the AVGVSTA legend. This tight typological continuity makes RIC 372 an important chronological anchor within the early divinization series.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Preservation

Because gold aurei represented tremendous monetary value (equivalent to 25 silver denarii or 100 brass sestertii), they did not circulate in ordinary daily retail trade. Instead, coins such as RIC III Antoninus Pius 372 served for tax remittances, high-tier real estate and mercantile transactions, and substantial personal savings. Aurei of the Antonine era enjoyed remarkable longevity; hoard evidence from across the European provinces, the Levant, and North Africa indicates that gold struck under Antoninus Pius remained in circulation alongside earlier Trajanic and Hadrianic issues well into the Severan period and the third century AD. Due to their careful handling and frequent storage in ceramic vessels or leather pouches, many surviving aurei of this type exhibit minimal circulation wear, preserving brilliant mint surfaces and sharp die details. Over decades of circulation, some examples experienced modest loss of metal through edge handling or minor clipped attrition, but the high intrinsic purity of imperial gold protected the type against corrosive environmental degradation.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 58-60
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 372. RIC III Antoninus Pius 372
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 71, no. 372
4. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. no. 444