Commodus Bronze As RIC III Commodus 569

Monetary Context

The monetary system of the late Antonine period preserved the traditional Augustan denomination structure, wherein bronze and orichalcum coinages functioned as the everyday fractional foundation beneath silver denarii and gold aurei. The as was struck in unalloyed copper or related base copper alloys, circulating at half the value of the brass dupondius and one quarter of the large brass sestertius. By the reign of Commodus, inflationary pressures, military expenditures, and fiscal demands had induced minor standard reductions across precious metal coinages, yet the base metal denominations retained their essential role in daily civic and regional commerce across Italy and the western provinces. The issue of base metal denominations remained formally distinguished by the mark S C (Senatus Consulto), reflecting the traditional senatorial oversight of aes production even as the imperial administration directed iconographic themes and fiscal volume. The Apollo Moneta issue of AD 190 formed part of a coherent ideological program within this fractional system, articulating state authority through religious allegories.

Production and Mints

All regular bronze coinage bearing the imperial titulature of Commodus for AD 190 was struck exclusively at the central imperial mint in Rome. The metropolitan mint operated through organized officinae capable of handling synchronized outputs across precious and base metals. Die preparation for the as of this period required skilled die-engravers who maintained refined classicizing proportions, as evidenced by the anatomical treatment and balanced contrapposto posture of Apollo on the reverse. Flans were cast in molds and subsequently hot-struck between engraved iron or bronze dies, with the lower die held within an anvil and the upper punch die positioned manually. Weight and diameter standards for the as under Commodus exhibited normal dispersion typical of hammered aes production, with target weights generally clustering between 9 and 12 grams and flan diameters spanning 24 to 26 millimeters. Slight variations in planchet thickness, alignment, and die wear were routine in high-volume metropolitan production.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse of RIC III Commodus 569 displays the right-facing head of the emperor Commodus wearing a laurel wreath, the classic insignia of imperial victory and religious status. The portraiture belongs to the emperor's mature iconographic phase, characterized by heavy facial features, curled locks of hair, and an abundant beard rendered in the Antonine court style. The laurel ties fall naturally along the nape of the neck. The portrait reflects the established convention of the as denomination, which traditionally presented an uncrowned laureate head or bare head, in contrast to the radiate crown characteristically reserved for the dupondius. The surrounding inscription begins at the lower left and follows the perimeter clockwise, precisely framing the imperial profile.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse iconography introduces an exceptional type designated in modern scholarship as Apollo Moneta. The god is depicted entirely nude, standing toward the right in an elegant cross-legged stance known in classical sculpture as the Lykeios type. His right arm is bent upward, with the hand resting casually over the crown of his head, while his left forearm leans upon a slender architectural column for support. This languid, Hellenistic posture conveys divine rest and serenity. The explicit association of Apollo with the epithet Moneta is singular in Roman imperial numismatics, merging the artistic, prophetic, and restorative attributes of Apollo with the protective custody of coinage and fiscal honesty traditionally held by Juno Moneta. Flanking the lower field, the letters S and C reinforce the official senatorial authorization for the striking of the denomination.

Legends and Inscriptions

The obverse legend reads M COMM ANT P FELIX AVG BRIT P P, expanding to Marcus Commodus Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus Britannicus, Pater Patriae. This sequence reflects several key ideological shifts: the early adoption of the surname Antoninus, the assumption of Pius and Felix together to proclaim divine favor and clemency, the military cognomen Britannicus earned through campaigns in northern Britain, and the honored title of Father of the Fatherland. The reverse legend is APOL MONETAE P M TR P XV IMP VIII COS VI S C, expanding to Apollini Monetae, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate quinta decima, Imperator octavum, Consul sextum, Senatus Consulto. The dedicatory dative Apollini Monetae establishes the coin as an offering or honorific attribution to the deity. The accompanying imperial titles meticulously record Commodus's chief priesthood, his fifteenth tribunician year, his eighth military acclamation, and his sixth ordinary consulship.

Typology and Chronology

The chronological placement of RIC III Commodus 569 is securely fixed to the calendar year AD 190 by the intersection of Commodus's administrative titles: TR P XV (which ran from December AD 189 to December AD 190) and his sixth consulship (COS VI), entered on January 1, AD 190. The Apollo Moneta theme was struck concurrently across multiple metals and denominations, including silver denarii, brass sestertii, and dupondii, demonstrating an intentional mint-wide commemorative campaign. In standard catalogues, RIC III 569 designates the specific copper as issue with the laureate right-facing portrait. Variations within the type are limited to minor engraver differences in letter spacing, the drapery or column details beneath Apollo's arm, and slight differences in portrait bust termination.

Circulation and Monetary Function

As an as, this coin functioned as everyday small change across the urban markets of Rome, central Italy, and military frontiers where western aes circulated freely. Finds of contemporary base metal issues demonstrate that bronze asses remained in active circulation for decades, often exhibiting extensive surface wear before final loss or deposition. The high volume of coinage produced during the later years of Commodus ensured widespread geographic penetration of these types, although aes tended to circulate within regional monetary zones to a greater extent than precious metal denarii. The specific religious appeal to Apollo Moneta in AD 190 may have been received by contemporary users as an assurance of monetary integrity during an era marked by palace intrigues, grain shortages, and political unrest in the capital.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 832-835
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Commodus 569. ric.3.com.569
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 433, no. 569