Caracalla Bronze As RIC IV Caracalla 554b

Monetary and Denominational Context

During the reign of Caracalla, the Roman monetary system functioned as a multi-tiered bimetallic and base-metal currency structure inherited from the Augustan and Antonine settlements, though heavily stressed by military expenditure and currency debasements. While the precious-metal coinage witnessed profound structural interventions, notably the introduction of the radiate double denarius or antoninianus in AD 215, the traditional base-metal denominations maintained nominal continuity. The as remained an essential fractional bronze denomination, sitting below the brass sestertius and dupondius. Under the Severan dynasty, base-metal fractions experienced gradual reductions in average flan weight and production volume compared to the prolific output of the second century AD, yet they continued to supply markets with necessary low-value units for retail exchange, routine provisioning, and state disbursements. The issuance of RIC IV Caracalla 554b in AD 215 integrated this routine fractional utility with official dynastic propaganda, transmitting specific imperial theological imagery directly into civic circulation.

Production and Mint Allocation

The production of RIC IV Caracalla 554b is securely assigned to the imperial mint at Rome. Even though Caracalla spent the year AD 215 operating in the eastern Mediterranean, passing through Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, the primary administration of official senatorial base-metal coinage remained concentrated in the capital. The production process adhered to the standard operational routine of the Rome mint, where bronze flans were cast in molds before being manually struck between engraved iron dies. Striking of base-metal issues was authorized formally under senatorial sanction, represented by the letters S C (Senatus Consulto) flanking the reverse design. Die preparation in Rome exhibited the characteristic Severan stylistic conventions: high-relief portraiture, controlled lettering, and careful attention to mythological attributes, maintaining a high level of technical competence across the coin's obverse and reverse dies.

Obverse Iconography and Attributes

The obverse of catalogue type 554b presents a right-facing bust of Caracalla depicted with a laurel wreath, military cuirass, and paludamentum (drapery). The emperor is rendered with mature, austere Severan features, characterized by thick, tightly curled hair, a neatly cropped beard, a muscular neck, and a determined, furrowed brow. This iconography emphasizes both military authority and mature imperium. In the classification scheme of Roman Imperial Coinage, type 554b is explicitly differentiated from type 554a by the inclusion of drapery and cuirass over the bust, whereas 554a presents a simple laureate head with bare neck and shoulders. The laurel wreath rests securely upon the head, its ties trailing downward behind the neck, serving as an ancient symbol of martial victory and sacred status.

Reverse Iconography: Asclepius and Attendants

The reverse of the type features the Greco-Roman god of medicine, Asclepius, standing facing with his head turned left. He appears semi-nude, draped to the waist with a himation falling in loose folds around his lower limbs. In his right hand, Asclepius supports his defining iconographic attribute, a thick staff around which a sacred serpent coils upward. Standing to his left is his companion deity Telesphorus, portrayed as a diminutive figure enveloped in a hooded cloak (cucullus), symbolizing the silent, watchful stage of recovery from illness. At the lower right, resting on the groundline beside the god, sits a small globe. The composition unites personal health appeals with universal imperial stability, suggesting that the well-being of the ruler directly safeguarded the security of the Roman world.

Epigraphy and Imperial Titulature

The obverse inscription reads ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, a standard titulature for Caracalla during the later part of his reign. The name Antoninus recalls his formal adoption into the Antonine lineage, Pius proclaims imperial piety and filial devotion, and Augustus designates supreme sovereign power. The honorific cognomen Germanicus, abbreviated as GERM, commemorates his military campaigns against the Germanic Alamanni along the Rhine and Danube in AD 213. On the reverse, the legend P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P S C provides explicit chronological and constitutional data. Pontifex Maximus (P M) highlights his supreme priesthood, Tribunicia Potestate XVIII (TR P XVIII) records his eighteenth year of tribunician authority, Consul IIII (COS IIII) records his fourth consulship, and Pater Patriae (P P) identifies him as father of the country, while Senatus Consulto (S C) confirms senatorial approval.

Typology and Chronological Setting

The chronological assignment of RIC IV Caracalla 554b is narrowed precisely to AD 215 by the iteration of Caracalla's eighteenth tribunician power, which ran from early AD 215 until early AD 216. During this exact period, ancient historical accounts by Cassius Dio and Herodian record Caracalla's profound distress over physical and psychological afflictions, prompting him to seek solace from divine healers across the empire, most notably Apollo Grannus, Serapis, and Asclepius at Pergamum. The striking of Asclepius reverses across multiple denominations at Rome in TR P XVII (AD 214) and TR P XVIII (AD 215) underscores a sustained institutional emphasis on the emperor's health. Within the typological series of bronze asses from this year, type 554 represents the primary Asclepius design, with variant 554b demarcating the bust variant with drapery and cuirass.

Circulation, Wear, and Archaeological Loss

As base-metal fractional coinage, bronze asses like RIC IV Caracalla 554b circulated intensively in civic, regional, and camp markets. Because their intrinsic copper value was lower than their assigned nominal purchasing power, asses functioned as fiduciary tokens within urban commerce, changing hands continuously until surface details were heavily worn. Finds from western and Mediterranean archaeological contexts demonstrate that Severan bronze coins remained in active circulation for decades, frequently surviving alongside earlier Flavian and Antonine aes issues well into the middle of the third century AD. Due to prolonged physical handling, surviving specimens often exhibit extensive surface abrasion, softened legends, and typical green, brown, or earthen patination characteristic of long-term soil burial.

References

1. I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali: Caracalla. vol. IV, s.v. Caracalla
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 483-485
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Caracalla 554b. ric.4.crl.554b
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 301, no. 554b