Caracalla Bronze As, RIC IV Caracalla 505

Monetary and Economic Context

During the early third century AD, the Roman imperial monetary system maintained the traditional Augustan denominations, though inflationary pressures and repeated debasements of the silver denarius altered internal valuation structures. The as represented the fundamental base unit of account among imperial bronze and copper issues, valued at four asses to one sestertius, two asses to one dupondius, and sixteen asses to the standard silver denarius. While the reign of Caracalla is particularly notable for monetary reforms, culminating in the introduction of the radiate double denarius (antoninianus) in AD 215, regular production of base-metal coinage continued at the Rome mint to sustain fractional commerce and imperial cash flow. By AD 213, when RIC IV Caracalla 505 was produced, state expenditure was heavily driven by military salary increases and major building programs in the capital. Struck in a copper alloy typically classified as bronze or red copper, the as fulfilled essential everyday transactions in Rome, central Italy, and military camps along the frontiers. Unlike silver coins, which were frequently hoarded or remelted due to fluctuating fineness, base-metal aes denominations circulated extensively until worn nearly smooth, serving as enduring instruments of public messaging and imperial civic identity.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

The entire regular production of base-metal imperial coinage bearing Caracalla's standard imperial titulature in AD 213 was concentrated at the central mint in Rome. Operations at Rome were organized into officinae (workshops), which operated under strict administrative supervision by equestrian procurators to manage metal procurement, die engraving, flan casting, and striking. Flans for the as were prepared using cast blanks of copper alloy that were trimmed and hammered into circular form before striking between hand-held intaglio dies. In accordance with early third-century Severan metrology, asses of this period generally exhibited weight standards ranging around 8 to 11 grams, with typical diameters between 24 and 27 millimeters, though individual specimens demonstrate considerable variation resulting from al marco striking practices where batches were weighed in bulk rather than tailored individually. Die orientation was predominantly regular, standardly aligned near six o'clock or twelve o'clock, reflecting careful mechanical handling by the mint teams. Engravers at the Rome mint exhibited a distinctive, highly accomplished portrait style characterized by deeply incised facial modeling, prominent military cropping of the hair and beard, and expressive naturalism.

Obverse Iconography and Epigraphy

The obverse of RIC IV Caracalla 505 presents the laureate head of Caracalla facing right, executed in the mature Severan portrait style. The laurel wreath (corona laurea), tied at the back of the head with ribbons flowing down the nape of the neck, signifies supreme imperial authority and victorious command. Caracalla is depicted with curly hair gathered close to the scalp, a short, trimmed military beard, and pronounced brow ridges that impart an austere, resolute countenance favored in official imperial portraiture after AD 211. This severe depiction aligned the young emperor with the tastes and expectations of the Roman legionaries, presenting him as a vigorous warrior-prince in the mold of Alexander the Great. The unbroken legend ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT encircles the head from the lower left to lower right, framed by a continuous dotted border. The artistic treatment of the obverse portrait emphasizes plasticity and volume, contrasting with the flatter profiles characteristic of earlier provincial strikes and establishing an authoritative, instantly recognizable image of sole imperial rule.

Reverse Iconography and Cult of Serapis

The reverse iconography depicts the syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis standing facing left, dressed in traditional Hellenistic drapery consisting of a chiton and himation. Serapis elevates his right hand in a gestures of benediction, authority, and solar protection, while resting his left hand upon a tall vertical sceptre. While certain Severan depictions of Serapis prominently feature the modius (calathus) upon the deity's head to symbolize agricultural abundance and underworld dominion, the core diagnostic feature of this type is his standing posture with raised hand and sceptre. The introduction and regular repetition of Serapis on Caracalla's imperial coinage in AD 213 reflects profound religious, dynastic, and geopolitical motivations. The Severan house maintained long-standing ties to Alexandrian cults; Septimius Severus had patronized Egyptian sanctuaries, and Caracalla personally sought the healing and protective intervention of Serapis and Asclepius to treat his chronic physical and mental ailments. Furthermore, displaying an internationally venerated eastern deity on official Roman aes reinforced imperial universalism on the eve of Caracalla's major expeditions to the Danubian and eastern frontiers.

Epigraphic Analysis and Imperial Titulature

The inscriptions appearing on RIC IV Caracalla 505 provide an unambiguous epigraphic framework that establishes the coin's precise administrative dating and ideological purpose. The obverse legend reads ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT. The title Antoninus emphasizes his adoption into the revered Antonine dynastic lineage by Septimius Severus, while Pius highlights imperial piety and devotion to family and gods. Augustus represents the supreme imperial rank, and Britannicus records the formal victory title awarded following the British campaigns (AD 208 to 211), which Caracalla retained throughout his middle reign. The reverse legend carries the extended sequence P M TR P XVI COS IIII P P, accompanied by S C in the field. The initials P M designate Pontifex Maximus, the chief priesthood assumed by Caracalla upon his father's death. TR P XVI records his sixteenth renewal of tribunician power, which commenced in late AD 212 or early AD 213 and concluded by late AD 213. COS IIII confirms his fourth consulship, entered on 1 January AD 213, while P P denotes Pater Patriae (Father of the Fatherland). The abbreviation S C (Senatus Consulto) reflects the formal constitutional sanction of the Senate in authorizing base-metal issues, maintaining the legal fiction of senatorial oversight over the bronze and copper currency.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the standard typological classification of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Caracalla 505 is assigned to the sole reign of Caracalla and strictly dated to the calendar year AD 213. The co-occurrence of the tribunician date TR P XVI with Caracalla's fourth consulship (COS IIII) pins the striking precisely to AD 213, before the renewal to TR P XVII in AD 214. The type belongs to a coordinated thematic series celebrating Serapis across multiple denominations in AD 213, appearing on gold aurei, silver denarii, and brass sestertii (such as RIC IV 499) as well as the copper as. Typological variations within the broader Serapis series include minor differences in the god's headgear, whether crowned with an explicit modius or bare-headed, and subtle variations in the posture of the arm and sceptre. RIC IV 505 specifically defines the as denomination with the laureate obverse head right and the standing Serapis holding a sceptre with raised right hand, flanked by S C across the lower fields. This issue is catalogued concurrently in major standard references, including the British Museum Catalogue (BMCRE V, Caracalla base metal) and Cohen's catalogue of Roman imperial coins under Caracalla.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

As a fractional base-metal issue, RIC IV Caracalla 505 circulated predominantly within the central administrative networks of Italy and the western military provinces, including the Rhine and Danube frontiers and Britannia, where base-metal aes remained essential for daily retail transactions and military mess payments. Unlike silver denarii and aurei, copper asses were rarely deposited in long-term savings hoards; instead, their primary archaeological recovery context consists of loose site finds, river deposits, temple votive offerings, and settlement strata. Excavations across Roman provincial sites demonstrate that early third-century asses often remained in local circulation for several decades, accumulating heavy wear that frequently obscured outer legend letters. By the middle of the third century, rampant debasement of the silver currency and the mass production of antoniniani led to a collapse in the production and utility of the traditional as, causing issues like RIC IV Caracalla 505 to gradually drop out of active market circulation. Surviving specimens are appreciated today for their detailed epigraphic dating and their explicit artistic testimony to the rising prominence of eastern syncretic cults in third-century Rome.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Caracalla, Aes Coinage of AD 213
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. Chapter 6: The Severan Monetary System
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Caracalla 505. ric.4.crl.505
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 293, no. 505