Elagabalus Bronze Dupondius RIC IV Elagabalus 357

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the Severan dynasty, the Roman monetary system rested upon the gold aureus, the silver denarius, and a hierarchy of aes or base-metal coins comprising the sestertius, dupondius, as, and rare fractional denominations. The dupondius held a tariffed value of two asses or half a sestertius, which equated to one-eighth of a silver denarius. Under the reign of Elagabalus from AD 218 to 222, imperial fiscal priorities heavily favored the production of silver coinages to satisfy military expenditures, resulting in a marked relative contraction in the overall volume of brass and bronze strikings compared to previous reigns. The dupondius in this period was struck on flans composed of copper alloy, conventionally identified as orichalcum, though metallurgical analyses of third-century coinage reveal increasing variability in zinc content and frequent lead additions. The radiate crown worn by the emperor on the obverse functioned as an established visual indicator that permitted immediate distinction between the dupondius and the laureate as, both of which shared comparable modules and weights around eleven to thirteen grams. RIC IV Elagabalus 357 embodies this functional continuity of fractional change for daily urban commerce across the central empire.

Production Technology and Mint Organization

The emission catalogued as RIC IV Elagabalus 357 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint located in Rome. Base-metal coinage required heavy striking forces applied to cast flans prepared from molten copper alloy. The flans were poured or cast in open mould arrays, often leaving slight bevels or minor rim irregularities before being cold-struck or slightly warm-struck between hand-carved intaglio dies. Mint operations at Rome were organized into workshops, or officinae, which divided production quotas across different denominations and reverse themes. While middle bronzes were produced in substantially smaller quantities than silver denarii during the early third century, die linkages and portrait stylings establish that the engravers responsible for the obverse dies of the dupondii belonged to the same central artistic school that produced imperial sestertii and precious-metal issues. Flans for the dupondius typically display diameters between twenty-four and twenty-six millimeters, though minor variations in thickness, die alignment, and flan preparation reflect standard tolerances of the imperial mint.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 357 presents a right-facing bust of the emperor Elagabalus depicted in heroic portraiture. He is shown radiate, wearing a spiked crown whose rays project upwards from his brow, a convention designating the dupondius denomination since the early principate. The bust is described as draped, featuring classical fabric folds around the shoulders, sometimes over a cuirass. Engravers at the Rome mint captured the youthful physiognomy of the emperor, emphasizing soft facial contours, slightly prominent lips, and short-cropped curly hair characteristic of the Antonine stylistic revival favored by the Severan dynasty. Because Elagabalus ascended to the purple around age fourteen, his portraits gradually shifted from an idealized boyish likeness toward an older youth with faint sideburns by the end of his reign. The radiate crown serves simultaneously as an imperial attribute evoking Sol and an indispensable administrative tool for public denomination recognition.

Reverse Iconography: Libertas and the Star

The reverse composition of the type is dominated by the standing figure of Libertas, the personification of civil liberty, facing left. She is clothed in long classical drapery with graceful folds reaching her feet. In her extended right hand, Libertas holds the pileus, the conical felt cap traditionally presented to freed Roman slaves upon their manumission, symbolizing liberty restored and protected by the imperial house. In her left arm, she cradles a full cornucopiae, signifying the abundance, prosperity, and civic welfare that flow from the maintenance of traditional constitutional order. Flanking her lower figure are the large letters S and C, representing Senatus Consulto, the formal formula recording senatorial authorization for the issue of base-metal coinage. A significant stylistic variant of RIC IV Elagabalus 357 features an eight-pointed star placed in the reverse field, located either in the left or right field. Numismatists interpret this celestial emblem as a direct allusion to the sacred stone and solar cult of Elagabal, which the emperor established as paramount in the capital.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The obverse legend on RIC IV Elagabalus 357 reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, rendered in bold Roman capital letters along the beaded border. The inscription expands to Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus, articulating Elagabalus's claim to legitimate descent from Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla. The inclusion of Pius emphasizes the emperor's dutiful piety toward the divine realm and the dynastic legacy. On the reverse, the legend reads LIBERTAS AVG, accompanied by the senatorial formula S C in the lower field. The phrase Libertas Augusti proclaims the liberty secured by the emperor, offering a reassuring ideological message to the Senate and populace of Rome. The epigraphy exhibits the standardized letterforms characteristic of the Rome mint in the early third century, featuring distinct serifs, balanced spacing, and high legibility across the circular field.

Typology, Variants, and Chronological Placement

Within the standard classification systems, the type is designated as RIC IV Elagabalus 357 and corresponds closely to issues listed in BMC volume V. The emission was produced within the date bracket of AD 218 to 222, but internal numismatic indicators offer more precise dating for individual specimens. The obverse legend form without the later addition of titles such as Sacerdos Dei Solis places the initial production around AD 219 to 221. The introduction of the star in the reverse field of Severan coinage has been linked by numismatists to the period following the formal transfer of the sacred stone of Emesa to Rome and the emperor's marriage to Aquilia Severa around late AD 220. Consequently, examples of this dupondius lacking the star represent earlier strikings from AD 219 to 220, whereas specimens bearing the star were struck predominantly during AD 220 to 221. The reverse type was also struck simultaneously in bronze as a sestertius and in silver as a denarius, demonstrating that Libertas was a coordinated programmatic motif across all three metals.

Circulation Patterns and Monetary Survival

Dupondii of Elagabalus served primarily as fractional urban currency within the central and western provinces of the Roman Empire, where the traditional aes denomination system remained operative. Archaeological finds from military forts along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as civilian settlements in Italy, Gaul, and Hispania, demonstrate that Severan dupondii circulated for decades alongside earlier Antonine base-metal pieces. Because base-metal production slowed considerably during the third century, dupondii of Elagabalus often remained in circulation until the monetary reorganizations of the mid-to-late third century, resulting in significant surface wear and patina formation on surviving specimens. In the eastern provinces, local civic bronze currencies dominated low-value transactions, which limited the flow of central imperial dupondii in the Levant and Asia Minor. Today, RIC IV Elagabalus 357 represents a well-attested yet comparatively scarce middle bronze issue that documents both the conservative visual language of the Roman senatorial mint and the emerging religious iconography of the Severan court.

References

1. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Elagabalus, Rome Mint
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 357. ric.4.el.357
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 59, no. 357