Diva Faustina I Silver Denarius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 396

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the mid-second century AD under the Antonine dynasty, the denarius remained the primary silver denomination of the Roman monetary system, serving as the standard unit of account for civil administration, military stipends, and everyday commerce throughout the provinces. The issue catalogued as RIC III Antoninus Pius 396 belongs to the immediate wave of commemorative coinage authorized following the demise and official consecration of the Augusta in 141 AD. Rather than operating merely as a symbolic commemorative token, this silver denarius was struck for mass release and full integration into the imperial currency pool. The metal standard adhered to the established second-century ratio, where denarii contained approximately 75 to 80 percent silver fineness with an average targeted weight hovering between 3.1 and 3.4 grams. By pairing regular fiscal production with the promotion of Faustina's divinization, Antoninus Pius leveraged the empire's principal transaction medium to instill dynastic legitimacy and ideological unity across diverse social strata.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

The entire series comprising RIC III Antoninus Pius 396 was produced exclusively at the imperial mint in Rome. Operations at Rome during 141 AD were organized into distinct officinae capable of handling immense silver outputs to replace worn circulation pieces and satisfy state expenditures. Die engraving for this type displays notable technical consistency, indicating the work of veteran sculptors tasked with rendering architectural perspective on a flan rarely exceeding nineteen millimeters in diameter. Blank preparation followed traditional heating, casting, and striking methods, leading to typical minor variations in thickness, centering, and flan shape while maintaining the overall legal standard. Surviving specimens show careful attention to reverse architectural detail, though slight differences in die cut, such as the spacing of columns or the treatment of roof ornamentation, reflect standard hand-engraved die variation rather than disparate mint locations.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Consecration

The obverse of this denarius presents a refined draped bust of Diva Faustina facing right. Her portrait is characterized by an intricate coiffure typical of early posthumous issues, where the hair is gracefully waved in several distinct horizontal loops around the head, brought up toward the crown, and tightly coiled into a high braided chignon. This sophisticated styling served as an elite Roman fashion hallmark that influenced court portraiture across the empire. The treatment of the profile conveys ideal classical symmetry combined with recognizable naturalistic traits of the late empress. Unlike certain later issues that depict Faustina veiled, this variety highlights her regal, divine presence directly, symbolizing her elevated status as Diva through sculptural restraint and dignity.

Reverse Iconography and Architectural Representation

The reverse design features the frontal facade of a hexastyle temple, universally recognized as the Temple of Diva Faustina constructed along the Via Sacra on the northern edge of the Forum Romanum. The engraving exhibits six classical columns resting upon an elevated podium accessible by a central flight of three steps. Above the architrave, the triangular pediment and the sloping roofs are embellished with decorative sculptural elements, including central and corner acroteria. At the center of the columns, the open entrance to the cella is indicated, providing depth to the composition. Through this design, the coin captures an early architectural plan or the completed facade of the monumental shrine that Antoninus Pius dedicated to his deified consort, a building that was later rededicated jointly to both Antoninus and Faustina following his own death in 161 AD.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC III Antoninus Pius 396 are succinct and loaded with civic and religious significance. The obverse legend reads DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, struck continuously along the perimeter. The formulation Diva, explicitly replacing the customary living title of Augusta, serves as formal epigraphic declaration of her deification ratified by the Senate. On the reverse, the legend PIETAS AVG surrounds the temple structure. Pietas was a foundational Roman virtue embodying devotion to family, gods, and state. In this context, Pietas Augusta proclaims the emperor's enduring marital devotion, his fulfillment of sacred duties to the pantheon, and his commitment to immortalizing the empress through permanent civic monuments. Both legends employ clean, serifed imperial lettering executed within carefully delineated beaded borders.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the complex taxonomy of the Diva Faustina coinage, RIC III Antoninus Pius 396 holds a secure chronological anchor at the inception of the consecration issues in 141 AD. Numismatic scholarship, particularly the die studies undertaken by Martin Beckmann, confirms that obverse legends reading DIVA AVG FAVSTINA belong to the initial phase struck immediately after her death, preceding the later, highly prolific series inscribed DIVA FAVSTINA. Type 396 is distinguished precisely by the combination of this early obverse legend, the uncurtained hexastyle temple reverse, and the inscription PIETAS AVG. It stands apart from related varieties bearing altars, funeral pyres, or standing allegorical figures, functioning as a primary witness to the earliest architectural propaganda commissioned by the imperial court.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Survival

After being issued in Rome, specimens of RIC III Antoninus Pius 396 entered wide circulation alongside contemporary issues of Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and earlier Antonine and Flavian coinage. Silver denarii of Faustina were minted in significant quantities and remained in active use for several decades, as evidenced by their presence in Romano-British, Continental, and Danubian hoards dating well into the Severan era. Many surviving examples display moderate to extensive wear consistent with prolonged velocity in market transactions, while hoards deposited during third-century debasements frequently preserve examples due to their comparatively higher silver content. The enduring survival of these coins in hoards underscores both their fiscal reliability and their lasting symbolic familiarity across the provinces.

References

1. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. pp. 22-38
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 52, no. 319
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 396. ric.3.ant.396
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 71, no. 396