Caligula As, RIC I (second edition) Gaius/Caligula 38

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

Under the currency system established by Augustus and maintained by the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the copper as functioned as the standard unit of everyday commerce and military remuneration. While the precious metal denominations of gold aurei and silver denarii facilitated large fiscal transactions, state contracts, and provincial tax remittances, the aes coinage satisfied the immediate operational demands of the populace. In this bimetallic base-metal structure, the as was valued at four per sestertius, two per dupondius, or one-sixteenth of a silver denarius. The accession of Gaius in March of AD 37 required immediate state expenditures, including the distribution of donatives promised to the Praetorian Guard and the urban plebs, alongside the settling of bequests left by Tiberius. To facilitate everyday liquidity across Rome and regional markets, the mint at Rome struck large quantities of base-metal currency. The issue classified as RIC I (second edition) Gaius/Caligula 38 served as the principal copper denomination of this initial monetary phase, providing a direct tactile medium through which the new emperor's image, legitimacy, and religious piety were conveyed to ordinary subjects.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

Numismatic scholarship securely attributes RIC I (second edition) Gaius/Caligula 38 to the imperial mint of Rome. In accordance with the monetary reforms instituted under Augustus, the as was struck from unalloyed copper rather than the zinc-bearing copper alloy known as orichalcum, which was reserved for the sestertius and dupondius. Asses of this period adhered to an average target weight of approximately 10.5 to 11.5 grams, with flan diameters typically spanning 27 to 30 millimeters, although individual planchets exhibit substantial manual variation resulting from contemporary striking techniques. Production relied on high-volume die pairing, with dies cut by seasoned engravers working within the centralized imperial workshops. The striking quality of this early issue is characterized by crisp die execution, neat lettering, and well-balanced compositions. While older antiquarian literature occasionally suggested provincial or western auxiliary striking for certain Julio-Claudian bronze issues, metallurgical analysis, stylistic uniformity, and die studies confirm that this specific series originated exclusively from the capital.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Image

The obverse of RIC 38 features a bareheaded bust of Caligula facing left. The choice of a bare head conformed strictly to the Julio-Claudian convention for the as; within this denomination, the laurel wreath was traditionally omitted, contrasting with the laureate busts reserved for imperial sestertii and certain precious-metal issues, and the radiate crown indicative of dupondii. The left-facing orientation serves as a consistent typological marker for this specific issue, presenting a youthful, idealized profile characterized by prominent facial planes, a straight nose, and neatly arranged hair swept forward across the brow in the classic manner of the Augustan aesthetic. By visually aligning his portraiture with the dynastic precedents of Augustus and Germanicus, the coinage established an immediate sense of dynastic legitimacy and political reconciliation, counterbalancing the austere and remote image associated with the final years of Tiberius.

Reverse Design and the Cult of Vesta

The reverse design features the goddess Vesta, veiled and draped, seated facing left upon an elaborately ornamented throne. Her right hand extends forward, holding a patera, a shallow libation bowl used during sacrificial rituals, while her left arm cradles a long transverse sceptre resting against her shoulder. Flanking the seated deity in the field are the large, prominent letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto, by decree of the Senate. The inclusion of Vesta carried profound symbolic resonance in early imperial Rome. As the guardian of the sacred hearth and the eternal flame that preserved the Roman state, Vesta embodied stability, religious continuity, and moral renewal. By highlighting Vesta upon his inaugural copper coinage, Caligula emphasized his reverence for ancestral traditions and public piety, a theme further underscored by his official assumption of the office of Pontifex Maximus. The seated pose and delicate handling of the drapery evoke classical cult statuary, presenting a serene visual counterpoint to the political anxieties surrounding the transition of power.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The inscriptions on RIC 38 follow established imperial epigraphic conventions, rendered in neat, regular Roman capitals. The obverse legend reads continuously clockwise around the left-facing portrait: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT. This formula abbreviates Caius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate. The legend explicitly defines the constitutional foundations of Caligula's rule. The adoption of the names Caesar, Augustus, and Germanicus stressed dynastic heritage and military prestige, while PON M records his election to the high priesthood and TR POT marks the grant of tribunician power, which granted civil authority and inviolability. Significantly, TR POT appears without an iterative numeral, establishing that this issue belongs to his first tribunician period. The reverse legend is concise, reading VESTA across the upper field, directly identifying the seated deity, accompanied by the standard senatorial authorization mark S C divided across the left and right fields.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the revised framework of Roman Imperial Coinage established by C. H. V. Sutherland, RIC I (second edition) Gaius/Caligula 38 is catalogued as the inaugural bronze as of the reign, datable to AD 37 and early AD 38. Its chronological placement is anchored firmly by the unnumbered TR POT designation in the obverse legend. In subsequent years of Caligula's rule, the Rome mint modified this formula to indicate renewed annual grants of tribunician authority. Later issues corresponding to his second, third, and fourth renewals bear legends reading TR POT II (RIC 47), TR POT III (RIC 54), and TR POT IIII (RIC 59), each retaining the same left-facing portrait and seated Vesta reverse composition. Consequently, RIC 38 represents the primary reference type from which all subsequent Vesta asses of Caligula derive, standing apart exclusively on the basis of its unnumbered tribunician titulature.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Survival

Due to extensive mint output at Rome, RIC 38 entered broad circulation across Italy and the western provinces, including Gaul, Hispania, and the Rhine frontier garrisons. Because bronze coinage remained in active circulation for several decades, surviving specimens regularly exhibit extensive wear, softening of facial details, and smoothed legends resulting from continuous market transactions. Many examples survived well into the Flavian period and beyond, occasionally receiving countermarks during subsequent administrative reigns to extend or validate their legal tender status. While Caligula suffered a formal damnatio memoriae following his assassination in AD 41, this decree resulted primarily in the erasure of his name from monumental public inscriptions and the melting down of certain statues. His bronze currency was generally permitted to circulate until naturally worn out or retired by normal fiscal attrition, though some specimens display intentional defacement or ancient gouging across the portrait area.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 154-155, nos. 45-48
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Gaius/Caligula 38. ric.1(2).gai.38
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). p. 112, no. 38
4. Roman History and Coinage, 44 BC - AD 69. pp. 71-75