Faustina I Silver Denarius, RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The principate of Antoninus Pius (138 to 161 AD) is traditionally recognized as a period of institutional stability, fiscal consolidation, and consistent monetary policy. Under Antoninus, the silver denarius remained the cornerstone of everyday commerce, army pay, and interprovincial trade across the Roman Mediterranean. Following the heavier standards of early Trajanic and Hadrianic emissions, Antonine denarii settled into a well-defined physical standard, generally weighing between 3.15 and 3.40 grams with an alloy hovering between 75 and 80 percent silver. Within this monetary regime, coins struck for imperial women served a dual function: they functioned as fully interchangeable units of currency and operated as an ideological apparatus broadcasting the legitimacy, domestic piety, and dynastic stability of the Antonine house. Denarii produced in the name of Faustina the Elder before her death in late 140 AD represent a comparatively small fraction of her total numismatic footprint, because the posthumous consecration series (Diva Faustina) later eclipsed her lifetime output. RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A belongs firmly to this initial phase of lifetime coinage, minted when Faustina was active as Augusta alongside Antoninus Pius.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

All specimens of RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A were produced exclusively by the central mint in Rome. During the early Antonine period, the Rome mint was organized into specialized workshops (officinae), which operated with remarkable precision in die preparation, flan casting, and striking. Blanks were cast in individual molds or sliced from cast silver rods, reheated, and hand-struck between intaglio-engraved bronze dies. The metallic composition maintained the standard Antonine silver fineness, showing careful control of copper alloying. Production of denarii during these years was characterized by adjusted die axes, predominantly oriented upright at 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock, reflecting the disciplined workshop practices of the urban mint. Because individual dies were cut by hand, slight stylistic variations emerge across the series, particularly in the rendering of the folds of Faustina's drapery, the height of her coiled topknot, and the delicate feathering of the peacock's tail on the reverse.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A depicts the draped bust of Faustina the Elder facing right. Her portrait is celebrated for its elaborate, iconic hairstyle, which introduced a new aesthetic standard for Roman aristocratic women. The hair is carefully waved horizontally along the temples, drawn back from the forehead in soft ridges, braided into intricate plaits, and piled vertically into a woven coronal coil or chignon resting atop the crown. This coiffure, often secured with delicate pearls or pins on imperial statuary, is rendered on the dies with intricate incised line work. Faustina wears classical drapery gathered at the shoulder, emphasizing modesty and matronal virtue (pudicitia). The portrait presents an idealized yet dignified likeness, balancing mature imperial authority with serene elegance, devoid of the overt divine attributes that would characterize her posthumous Consecratio and Diva coinage.

Reverse Iconography: Juno Regina and the Sacred Pulvinar

The reverse iconography of RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A is dominated by the sacred furniture and attribute animals of Juno Regina, the queen of the gods. The central element is an ornate ceremonial throne (pulvinar), draped with fringed or patterned fabric and adorned with cushions. Resting diagonally against the left side of the throne is a tall, transverse sceptre, the quintessential symbol of celestial sovereignty. Below the throne and slightly in front, a peacock stands facing right with its magnificent tail feathers spread wide in full fan. In Roman religious ritual, the empty pulvinar was prepared during the lectisternium and sellisternium ceremonies, inviting tutelary deities to partake in banquets for the welfare of the state. Juno Regina was the special patroness of the Roman Augusta, safeguarding marriage, childbirth, and imperial womanhood. By placing Juno's throne, sceptre, and peacock on Faustina's denarii, the imperial court visibly placed the empress under the direct protection of the Capitoline goddess.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The legends on this type are concise, formal, and typical of early Antonine imperial epigraphy. The obverse legend reads FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, inscribed along the outer perimeter starting from the lower left. This simple nomenclature identifies the empress solely by her personal name and her supreme female imperial title, Augusta, conferred upon her by the Senate shortly after Antoninus Pius's accession in 138 AD. The absence of divine honorifics such as DIVA confirms that the type was conceived and struck while Faustina was still living. The reverse legend reads IVNONI REGINAE, inscribed in the dative case to signify 'To Juno the Queen.' This dedicatory syntax records a formal vow or offering to the goddess, linking the empress's earthly office to the divine patroness. Letterforms are executed in clean Roman square capitals, with balanced letter spacing conforming to the circular contour of the beaded border.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification scheme of Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), this type is assigned catalogue number 339A under Antoninus Pius. It is chronologically positioned between 139 AD, when Antoninus assumed his second consulship and regularized Faustina's titulature as Augusta, and her death in October or November of 140 AD (with residual production potentially running into early 141 AD before consecration issues began). Within the typology of Faustina's lifetime silver, RIC 339A belongs to a cohesive thematic group invoking female deities including Juno, Venus, and Concordia. It must be carefully distinguished from closely related reverse variants: while RIC 339A features the peacock with its tail spread in front of the throne and a transverse sceptre leaning against it, other issues show the peacock with a closed tail, or present Juno standing holding a patera and sceptre. The draped throne motif on RIC 339A represents one of the most visually intricate reverse compositions in Faustina's lifetime silver repertoire.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Denarii of RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A entered widespread circulation across the European, North African, and Near Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Because of their sound weight and consistent fineness, early Antonine denarii circulated heavily alongside Trajanic, Hadrianic, and later Antonine issues for decades. Hoard evidence from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian limes demonstrates that lifetime Faustina denarii remained active well into the third century AD, frequently recovered in hoards deposited during the Severan period and the Crisis of the Third Century. However, because Faustina's lifetime reign as Augusta lasted only about two years, lifetime types like RIC 339A appear in hoards in far smaller quantities than the immense flood of posthumous Consecratio and Diva Faustina denarii issued throughout the remainder of Antoninus's twenty-three-year reign. Surviving specimens show normal patterns of edge wear and surface friction consistent with prolonged commercial use.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 55, no. 385
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Antoninus Pius 339A. ric.3.ant.339A
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 69, no. 339A
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. pp. 82-88