Elagabalus Bronze Dupondius, RIC IV Elagabalus 301

Monetary Context and Denominational Structure

During the third century AD, the Roman imperial monetary system continued to follow the denominational framework established under Augustus, though altered by ongoing economic pressures, debasement of silver coinages, and evolving production priorities. The dupondius was a base-metal coin valued at two asses, four of which equaled a single silver denarius, and two of which constituted a brass sestertius. Historically struck in orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy known for its bright golden color, the dupondius served as an indispensable medium for everyday marketplace transactions throughout Italy and the western provinces. By the reign of Elagabalus (AD 218 to 222), however, the volume of base-metal issues struck at Rome had diminished considerably compared to the massive bronze outputs of the early and high imperial periods. The imperial government directed substantial resources toward the striking of silver denarii and the newly introduced radiate double-denarii, or antoniniani, which were urgently required to satisfy military payrolls and donatives. Within this fiscal environment, dupondii and asses were issued in comparatively smaller quantities, functioning largely to facilitate urban change in the capital and maintaining the symbolic presence of the emperor's public authority in regional circulation. RIC IV Elagabalus 301 exemplifies this late phase of classical aes production, retaining the distinct weight and radiate crown characteristic of the denomination while operating in an economy characterized by gradual inflationary trends.

Mint Organization and Production Techniques

The issue designated as RIC IV Elagabalus 301 was manufactured exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. Under the Severan administration, the Rome mint was organized into distinct officinae, or workshops, that managed the preparation of flans, the engraving of dies, and the striking of coins across all approved denominations. Production of bronze and orichalcum denominations followed traditional methods of manual striking. Cast flans of standard thickness and weight were heated to soften the metal before being placed between a lower obverse die fixed in an anvil and an upper reverse die held by an artisan. The strike was delivered with a heavy hammer, imparting the high-relief portraits and detailed inscriptions characteristic of contemporary Roman engraving. Although the Augustan tradition demanded a sharp metallurgical division between red copper asses and brass dupondii, third-century metallurgical analyses show that the zinc content in orichalcum had become highly variable, often drifting toward mixed quaternary alloys containing copper, tin, lead, and residual zinc. Consequently, physical fabric, die dimensions, and the radiate crown served as the most reliable identifiers of the dupondius for users in antiquity. The technical execution of the dies for RIC IV Elagabalus 301 exhibits the refined style of the primary Roman engravers, featuring well-proportioned anatomical rendering and clear, uniform letterforms.

Obverse Typology and Imperial Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 301 presents a right-facing portrait of Elagabalus, shown as a radiate, draped, and cuirassed youth. The radiate crown, composed of sharp solar spikes projecting outward from the imperial brow, held a double functional and ideological significance. Numismatically, the crown had served since the early Principate as the standard mark of value for radiate copper-alloy issues, instantly identifying the piece as a dupondius rather than a laureate as or sestertius. Ideologically, the solar crown aligned the prince with cosmic vitality and the radiant power of the sun. The emperor is depicted wearing military cuirass overlaid with paludamentum, or imperial cloak, draped over the shoulder. This cuirassed and draped presentation asserted his legitimate role as supreme commander of the Roman legions, despite his youth and primarily priestly background. Engravers captured the distinctive facial characteristics of the young ruler, including slightly rounded cheeks, a straight nose, and short cropped hair, reflecting the naturalistic yet dynastically curated portrait tradition of the Severan house. The entire composition is encircled by a border of dots, framing the imperial bust in an authoritative, standard administrative format.

Reverse Iconography and Solar Symbolism

The reverse design of the type centers on the god Sol, the personification of the sun. Sol is depicted radiate, largely naked with the exception of a chlamys, or mantle, draped over his left shoulder and flowing behind his movement. The deity strides actively toward the left, raising his right hand with an open palm in a customary gesture of benediction, authority, and the dispelling of darkness. In his left hand, Sol clasps a whip, a standard attribute representing his role as celestial charioteer driving the quadriga across the heavens. Positioned in the upper left field is an eight-rayed or six-rayed star, a potent celestial marker emphasizing divine illumination and cosmic order. In the lower field, the letters S and C flank the divine figure. The choice of Sol for this issue reflects the prominent religious transformation that characterized Elagabalus's reign. Although the emperor sought to elevate his native Emesene deity, Elagabal, to the supreme position in the Roman pantheon, the coin types struck at Rome frequently synthesized this oriental cult with the traditional Roman iconography of Sol Invictus. By employing the familiar figure of Sol advancing with whip and raised hand, the Rome mint conveyed both dynastic theological reform and traditional Roman motifs of perpetual renewal, celestial protection, and cosmic victory.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The legends on RIC IV Elagabalus 301 provide unambiguous administrative and chronological data while proclaiming imperial legitimacy. The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, representing the expanded formula Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus. Through this legend, the young ruler laid claim to the prestigious Antonine heritage, asserting fictitious descent from Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla to solidify his standing among the legions and Senate. The title Pius underscored his religious devotion and filial piety, while Augustus confirmed his sovereign status. The reverse legend carries the dated formula P M TR P III COS III P P S C, an abbreviation for Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Tertia, Consul Tertium, Pater Patriae, Senatus Consulto. This dense epigraphic sequence records Elagabalus's chief religious office as supreme pontiff, his third renewal of the tribunician power, his third ordinary consulship, and his formal title as Father of the Fatherland. The inclusion of S C (Senatus Consulto) was the standard constitutional marker on Roman base-metal coinage, signifying that the bronze issues were struck by decree of the Senate, maintaining a traditional administrative veneer that endured throughout the Severan period.

Typology and Chronological Classification

The chronology of RIC IV Elagabalus 301 is securely established by the combination of imperial offices preserved in the reverse inscription. Elagabalus entered his third consulship (COS III) on 1 January AD 220 alongside Publius Valerius Comazon Eutychianus. His third tribunician power (TR P III) corresponds to the year AD 220, establishing that the issue was designed, authorized, and struck within this calendar year. In the primary numismatic catalog, Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV Part II, Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham classified this type under number 301 among the dated bronze issues of the Rome mint. The type forms part of a cohesive emissions program in AD 220 that paired identical or closely related solar imagery across several denominations, including aurei, denarii, sestertii, and dupondii. While the denarius and sestertius counterparts employ the same advancing Sol with whip and star, the dupondius is uniquely characterized by the combination of its specific bronze module and the radiate obverse bust. Minor stylistic variations exist across known dies, particularly in the rendering of the drapery folds, the exact posture of Sol, and the placement of the star relative to Sol's raised arm, but the typological identity remains strictly bounded by the AD 220 consular and tribunician dates.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

Base-metal dupondii of the Severan period circulated predominantly within Italy and the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Gaul, Britain, and the German frontier zones. In regional commerce, dupondii served as crucial fractional money alongside asses and sestertii, facilitating the daily purchase of grain, wine, oil, and household goods. Because aes coinage possessed lower intrinsic value than gold and silver, it traveled less rapidly across imperial borders and was rarely hoarded in massive quantities, instead exhibiting extensive surface wear from sustained circulation over several decades. Site finds and archaeological excavations demonstrate that Severan dupondii frequently remained in active commercial use well into the middle of the third century, often circulating alongside worn second-century issues of Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines. By the reign of Severus Alexander and the subsequent military emperors, the production of the dupondius declined precipitously as the bronze denomination system collapsed under inflationary pressures and currency reforms. As a result, issues like RIC IV Elagabalus 301 represent one of the final substantial phases in which the traditional Roman radiate dupondius functioned as a regular, government-issued fractional coin in everyday western market transactions.

References

1. Description historique des monnaies frappees sous l'Empire romain, Tome IV. p. 339, no. 157
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 582-585
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 301. RIC IV Elagabalus 301
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 57, no. 301
5. Moneta Imperii Romani, Band 8: Die Munzpragung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Elagabalus) und Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. Elagabalus, Rom