Faustina the Elder Silver Denarius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 340

Monetary and Political Context

When Antoninus Pius assumed the imperial purple in July AD 138 following the death of Hadrian, establishing the political and dynastic legitimacy of his new regime was an immediate priority. A key element of early Antonine dynastic policy involved public honours paid to his wife, Annia Galeria Faustina, who was elevated to the rank of Augusta, probably in late AD 138 or early AD 139. The issue of precious metal coinage under her name formed an integral component of Roman imperial state communication. The silver denarius was the cornerstone denomination of the imperial currency system, used to pay military salaries, fund administrative stipends, and facilitate substantial domestic trade throughout the empire. Unlike the vast array of posthumous consecration coinages issued under the legend DIVA FAVSTINA after her death in late AD 140 or early 141, the denarius of type RIC III Antoninus Pius 340 represents an authentic lifetime emission. Lifetime denarii of Faustina the Elder are substantially less numerous than her posthumous issues, making them crucial documents for understanding how her living public persona was constructed. In Roman state religion and public ideology, the empress was closely aligned with Juno Regina, the patroness of wives and imperial matronhood. The dedication IVNONI REGINAE positioned Faustina under Juno's divine protection while subtly associating the mortal Augusta with the celestial queen of the Capitoline Triad, reinforcing stability and domestic piety at the head of the Roman state.

Mint Operation and Production Technology

The entire regular precious metal coinage for Faustina the Elder during this period was produced at the central imperial mint of Rome. Operating under the direction of the procurator monetae, the Rome mint was organised into distinct workshops (officinae) capable of striking millions of uniform coin flans per year. To produce RIC III Antoninus Pius 340, blanks were cast in clay or bronze moulds, cooled, carefully weight-adjusted, and struck by hand between engraved iron dies. The metallurgic standard for the denarius under early Antoninus Pius maintained the parameters established during the later reign of Hadrian, with a nominal silver fineness typically ranging between 75 and 80 percent, accompanied by a balance of copper. Flans for this denarius were struck on standard circular blanks, resulting in finished coins generally measuring 17 to 19 millimetres in diameter with target weights centred between 3.2 and 3.4 grams, although normal distribution yields individual well-preserved specimens varying between roughly 2.9 and 3.6 grams. Die alignment for Rome mint denarii of this epoch is predominantly vertical or near-vertical (twelve o'clock or six o'clock), reflecting the careful operational alignment of the upper trussel die relative to the fixed lower pile die. The skilled engraving of the obverse portrait reflects the high artistic classical style of the Rome mint during the opening years of the Antonine era.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 340 presents an elegant, naturalistic bust of Empress Faustina the Elder facing right. The bust is carefully draped in imperial fabric, visible around the base of the neck and shoulders. The distinguishing numismatic feature of Faustina's lifetime portrait is her intricate, aristocratic coiffure, which set a prominent fashion across the Roman world. Her hair is rendered as waved in several distinct, horizontal tiers or loops surrounding the temples and brow, pulled smoothly toward the crown of the head, and arranged in an elaborate braided coil or bun pinned atop the head. This distinct hairstyle, often designated by art historians as her primary lifetime or 'stephane-like' coiffure, distinguishes her living portraits from some of the veil-draped or stylised posthumous portraits struck during her deification. The facial features depict a mature, dignified Roman matron, reflecting the gravitas and decorum prized by Antonine aristocratic culture. The portrait is framed by a continuous, neatly punctuated legend placed along the beaded border.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the type features an intricate sacred scene centred upon the throne of Juno. A richly ornamented throne (pulvinar) is draped with a decorated cloth. Behind the throne stands a tall, upright sceptre, an unmistakable attribute of royal and divine authority. Perched directly upon the seat of the throne is a peacock, the sacred familiar bird of Juno, depicted facing frontally with its magnificent tail feathers fully spread in a fan (in ostentatio). In classical Greco-Roman mythology and iconography, the peacock (pavo) served as Juno's constant companion, carrying the queen of the gods through the heavens and symbolising majesty, watchful protection, and immortality. The pulvinar was an essential fixture in Roman ritual banquets for the gods (the lectisternium), where cushions and thrones were laid out to invite deities into the civic community during times of national prayer or thanksgiving. By presenting Juno's draped throne surmounted by her peacock and sceptre, the reverse design recalls these solemn religious ceremonies while evoking Juno Regina's role as guardian of the imperial family. The frontal spreading of the bird's tail is a tour de force of fine die-engraving on a miniature silver field.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The epigraphic program of RIC III Antoninus Pius 340 is concise, direct, and unencumbered by bureaucratic titles. The obverse legend reads FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, curving clockwise from the lower left to the lower right. It omits the imperial patronymic or husband's name, as the simple combination of her name and the title Augusta was sufficient to proclaim her supreme imperial status. The absence of the epithet DIVA is the definitive diagnostic marker confirming that this type was struck during Faustina's lifetime. The reverse inscription reads IVNONI REGINAE, placed in a continuous arch along the outer perimeter of the design. Formulated in the dative case ('To Juno the Queen'), the legend designates the coin type as an official dedication to the deity. The lettering across both dies is executed in refined Roman square capitals, characterised by crisp serifs, proportional letter-spacing, and clear legibility typical of Antonine engraving at the capital.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Numismatists, beginning with Harold Mattingly in Roman Imperial Coinage and BMCRE, along with Paul Strack in his fundamental study of the Antonine mint, date this denarius to the narrow window between late AD 139 and late AD 140 or early 141. The award of the title Augusta to Faustina occurred after Antoninus Pius's initial accession honours in AD 138, placing her coinage firmly from AD 139 onwards. Her untimely death occurred in late AD 140 or early 141, at which point the Senate decreed her consecration, and the mint transitioned its dies to the vast DIVA FAVSTINA issues. Within the lifetime series, the IVNONI REGINAE type with the throne and peacock is catalogued as RIC III 340. It is typologically related to companion denarii featuring different reverses dedicated to Juno, such as those depicting Juno standing holding a patera and sceptre accompanied by a standing peacock at her feet (RIC III 338 and 339). RIC III 340 is distinguished specifically by the presence of the draped throne and the frontal spread-tailed peacock. While minor die-cutting variations exist in the rendering of the throne legs, drapery folds, and sceptre placement, all known specimens share the identical core iconographic schema and legends.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Because Faustina the Elder's lifetime coinage was struck over a brief window of only one to two years, types such as RIC III 340 were minted in substantially smaller quantities than her later deification coinages, which were struck continuously for two decades until the death of Antoninus Pius in AD 161. Nevertheless, lifetime denarii entered the broader imperial monetary pool and circulated extensively alongside earlier Flavian, Trajanic, and Hadrianic silver, as well as the contemporary issues of Antoninus Pius and the young Marcus Aurelius. Hoard evidence from Britain, the Rhine-Danube frontier, and the Mediterranean provinces reveals that Antonine denarii remained in active circulation well into the third century AD. As the silver content of subsequent issues was debased under Septimius Severus and Caracalla, good silver Antonine coins were gradually worn down through prolonged transactional use before being hoarded, exported, or recalled and melted down for re-coinage during the mid-third century crisis. Surviving specimens of RIC III 340 frequently exhibit moderate to heavy wear, although well-preserved examples demonstrate the high artistic standards of the early Antonine die-cutters.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 24-25, nos. 136-138
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 340. ric.3.ant.340
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 69, no. 340
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Antoninus Pius. no. 396