Aurelian Silver Denarius RIC V Aurelian 73

Monetary Context and Aurelian's Currency Reform

By the accession of Aurelian in AD 270, the Roman monetary system had experienced decades of severe debasement caused by continuous military crises, internal rebellion, and the fiscal strain of defending the frontiers. The primary silver denomination of the early third century, the denarius, had been largely displaced by the double-denomination radiate, commonly termed the antoninianus or aurelianianus. By the reign of Claudius II Gothicus and the start of Aurelian's reign, these radiate coins had plummeted to an alloy containing less than three percent silver, triggering extreme price inflation and widespread instability throughout imperial trade networks. In late AD 273 or early AD 274, Aurelian instituted a comprehensive currency reform to re-establish confidence in imperial coinage. The core of this program was the introduction of a stabilized radiate coin tariffed with the mark XXI in the West or KA in Greek-speaking provinces, signaling an alloy of twenty parts base metal to one part silver (five percent silver). Alongside this tariffed radiate piece, the reform revived fractional bronze and billon denominations with differentiated portraiture. While radiate crowns had identified the double piece since Caracalla, laureate wreaths were retained to indicate single fractional denominations. RIC V Aurelian 73 represents this laureate fractional denomination, continuing the ancient title of the denarius within the reorganized Roman monetary framework.

Production Standards and Rome Mint Operation

Production of RIC V Aurelian 73 occurred at the imperial mint in Rome. During the early part of Aurelian's reign, the capital mint had become a center of corruption, culminating in the violent uprising of the mint workers (monetarii) led by the rationalis Felicissimus. Following the brutal suppression of the revolt, the Rome mint was reorganized, reduced in personnel, and subjected to far more rigorous institutional oversight. Denarii of this series were prepared from cast flans made of heavily debased copper-silver alloy. Before striking, the flans underwent a chemical blanching process in an acidic bath to dissolve surface copper and enrich the outer layer of silver, giving fresh coins a bright, lustrous appearance that wore away rapidly in circulation. Denarii of the reform period generally conformed to a theoretical weight standard around 2.50 to 2.85 grams with a diameter averaging 18 to 20 millimeters, distinctly lighter and smaller than the dominant radiate aurelianiani, which typically weighed between 3.8 and 4.2 grams. Striking was executed across several designated workshops (officinae), though specimens belonging to RIC V Aurelian 73 frequently lack explicit officina letters in the reverse field or exergue, leaving workshop attribution reliant on style and die-link studies.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC V Aurelian 73 depicts the right-facing imperial portrait of Aurelian wearing a laurel wreath. The laureate head was an essential visual marker in the third-century denomination system, signaling to users that the coin was a single fraction rather than a double-value radiate piece. The portraiture embodies the severe, blocky style characteristic of the Rome mint during the mid-270s AD, presenting a mature ruler with closely cropped hair, a trim beard, strong jawline, and furrowed brow conveying military discipline and vigilance. In accordance with the typological criteria compiled in RIC V Part I and modern typologies, three distinct drapery variations occur on the bust for this type: a bust that is laureate and draped; a bust that is laureate and cuirassed; and a bust displaying both drapery and cuirass. The cuirass represents the emperor in his role as supreme military commander (imperator), while the paludamentum or military cloak draped over the armor adds imperial dignity. Die cutters at Rome produced these variants simultaneously or sequentially across production cycles without altering the official catalogue assignment of the issue.

Reverse Iconography and Triumphal Symbolism

The reverse of RIC V Aurelian 73 bears the figure of winged Victory (Victoria), draped and advancing toward the left. In her right hand, she extends a circular laurel wreath, the traditional Roman emblem of triumph awarded to successful commanders. In her left hand, she supports a long palm branch resting across her shoulder, another universal classical symbol of military victory and divine favor. At the feet of Victory sits or crouches a bound captive, typically oriented to the left or looking backward toward the goddess. The captive is depicted in an attitude of complete submission, with hands bound behind the back or slumped in defeat. This composition directly echoed the political and military climate of AD 273 and 274, when Aurelian achieved the momentous military victories that reunited the fragmented Roman world. By defeating the breakaway Palmyrene Empire in the East and recovering the Gallic provinces in the West from Tetricus I, Aurelian earned the official senate title Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World). The reverse design of RIC 73 provided tangible propaganda to civilians and soldiers alike, celebrating the restoration of imperial peace achieved through decisive military conquest.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC V Aurelian 73 follow concise, standardized imperial formulas. The obverse legend reads IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, an abbreviated form of the Latin formula 'Imperator Aurelianus Augustus'. The title 'Imperator' serves as the praenomen, affirming the emperor's legitimate acclamation by the legions and supreme command over the Roman armed forces. It is followed by the ruler's nomen gentilicium, Aurelianus, and concludes with the honorific Augustus, denoting sovereign authority and religious majesty. The lettering at the Rome mint is clean, compact, and serifed, with regular letter height and uniform spacing along the beaded border. The reverse inscription reads VICTORIA AVG, abbreviating 'Victoria Augusti' (The Victory of the Emperor). Unlike broader civic or theological invocations such as 'Victoria Aeterna' or 'Victoria Romanorum', the dedication to Victoria Augusti explicitly linked military triumph to the personal fortune and genius of Aurelian himself. The legend frames the active figure of Victory, creating an ideological synthesis between the titular claim and the graphic subjugation of the captive below.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference corpus compiled by Percy H. Webb in The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC V.1, 1927), this denarius was catalogued as entry 73 among the silver and billon coinages of the Rome mint. Webb assigned the issue broadly to the reign (AD 270-275). Later twentieth- and twenty-first-century scholarship, notably the systematic re-examination of third-century mint sequences led by Sylviane Estiot, has refined this chronology. Most modern numismatists assign RIC V Aurelian 73 to the post-reform period, dating between the spring of AD 274 and the death of Aurelian in the autumn of AD 275. The introduction of laureate denarii during this period formed a coordinated component of the currency overhaul that accompanied Aurelian's triumphal return to Rome after the defeat of the Gallic Empire. Although neighboring reverse types feature Pax, Providentia, or Sol, the Victoria type was particularly aligned with the celebrations of AD 274. In modern typologies and institutional databases such as Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), RIC 73 remains the authoritative identifier for this specific pairing of the IMP AVRELIANVS AVG obverse with the VICTORIA AVG reverse featuring Victory and captive.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Modern Preservation

Because the laureate denarius was produced in significantly smaller quantities than the radiate aurelianianus, specimens of RIC V Aurelian 73 are far less common in archaeological contexts and numismatic collections than contemporary radiates. The primary commercial currency of the later third century was the aurelianianus; reformed denarii functioned as small change for localized low-value transactions, retail trade, and accounting conversions within urban markets such as Rome and central Italy. In hoards concealed across the western and eastern provinces during the late third and early fourth centuries, denarii of Aurelian appear infrequently, typically forming a minor fraction of a percent within vast deposits of radiate coins. Their high copper content also made them vulnerable to rapid corrosion in acidic soil environments, meaning uncorroded specimens that preserve their delicate original surface silvering are relatively scarce. Over the decades following Aurelian's reign, the fractional denarius was increasingly marginalized by subsequent monetary adjustments, culminating in the complete restructuring of the Roman coinage system under Diocletian in AD 294.

References

1. Monnaies de l'Empire romain, tome XII.1: D'Aurélien à Florien (270-276 après J.-C.). Rome mint issues, catalogue section Aurélien
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 140-148
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC V Aurelian 73. ric.5.aur.73
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume V, Part I. p. 272, no. 73