Elagabalus Dupondius RIC IV Elagabalus 363

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

The dupondius during the Severan period held an established position as a fractional brass denomination valued at two asses, or half of a sestertius, with eight dupondii equivalent to one silver denarius. Under the early Principate, Augustus established the dupondius as an orichalcum coin distinct from the pure copper as. By the reign of Elagabalus (AD 218-222), the composition of Roman copper alloys had become considerably less consistent, with variable mixtures of copper, zinc, tin, and lead. To prevent confusion in everyday commercial exchanges, imperial mint authorities consistently utilized the radiate crown on the imperial portrait to signal a double denomination, mirroring the double-denarius (antoninianus) in silver and the double-sestertius of later reigns. RIC IV Elagabalus 363 functioned within this everyday retail economy, serving localized urban markets where small change was vital for retail transactions, basic sustenance, and token trade across Italy and imperial provinces.

Production Standards and Minting at Rome

Production of RIC IV Elagabalus 363 was centered exclusively at the principal imperial mint in the city of Rome. The physical production of base-metal coinage involved preparing cast flans of brass or leached copper alloy, which were subsequently hand-struck between engraved iron dies. Under the Severans, dupondius weight standards displayed considerable standard deviation, typically hovering between 10 and 14 grams, with diameters spanning approximately 24 to 27 millimeters. Die alignment varied, though a prevailing vertical or near-vertical axis was common. The mint at Rome operated in designated workshops (officinae), which divided labor between silver denarii, gold aurei, and aes denominations. The issue bears the senatorial mark S C in the reverse field, which retained traditional constitutional significance acknowledging senatorial sanction over bronze minting, even while practical administrative control resided firmly with imperial procurators.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 363 features a right-facing bust of Elagabalus, shown radiate and draped. The radiate crown serves as the primary denominational diagnostic marking the coin as a dupondius rather than an as. In early third-century Severan portraiture, Elagabalus was portrayed deliberately to mirror Caracalla, supporting the dynastic fiction of direct paternity promoted by his grandmother Julia Maesa. The portrait shows juvenile features with smooth facial planes, curly hair bound beneath the solar spikes of the crown, and military drapery covering the truncation of the neck and chest. While some cataloguing traditions note minor bust drapery or cuirass variations across related emissions, the core type features the radiate and draped portrait executed in the classicizing high Severan style.

Reverse Iconography: Mars Victor

The reverse iconography depicts the Roman god Mars in his aspect as Mars Victor, the Bringer of Victory. Mars is rendered helmeted and naked with the exception of a flowing military cloak (chlamys) that billows around his body as he advances briskly to the right. In his right hand, Mars holds a transverse spear pointing forward, while his left hand supports a military trophy rested across his left shoulder. The letters S and C flank the figure in the lower fields. This dynamic compositional motif represents aggressive imperial defense and successful military campaigning. Within the broader context of Elagabalus's reign, the reliance on traditional pantheon figures like Mars Victor underscores the mint administration's intent to convey institutional continuity and appease the praetorian guards and legionary commanders, despite the emperor's controversial promotion of the Emesene sun deity.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, fully expressing the dynastic titles assumed upon the emperor's accession: Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus. By adopting the formal nomenclature of Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla (Antoninus), the legend aimed to reinforce legitimacy. The reverse legend MARS VICTOR denotes Mars as the divine guarantor of military success, concluding with S C (Senatus Consulto) in the fields to signify senatorial consultation. The epigraphy exhibits standard early third-century Roman letterforms with clear serifs, square letter profiles, and regular spacing circling the beaded border. Inscriptional abbreviations follow the institutional conventions developed throughout the Antonine and Severan eras.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the typological framework of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Elagabalus 363 is catalogued among the undated bronze issues struck during Elagabalus's sole reign between AD 218 and 222. Because the legend lacks specific tribunician power counts (tribunicia potestate) or consular dates, precise annual placement must rely on portrait styles and metallurgical grouping. Numismatists generally assign this emission to the earlier or middle part of the reign (circa AD 218-220), when dynastic legitimacy and military loyalty were most actively cultivated through conventional warrior imagery before the extreme religious shifts characterized by the later Emesene priesthood coinages. The Mars Victor type also appears on contemporary sestertii (such as RIC IV 362) and silver denarii, forming part of a coordinated multi-denomination design program.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Dupondii of Elagabalus circulated predominantly within the Italian peninsula and the western provinces of the empire, where the traditional aes denomination system remained functionally active in commercial transactions. By the 220s AD, silver inflation was gradually eroding the volume of base-metal coin production; sestertii were minted in greater quantities than dupondii and asses, making surviving specimens of RIC IV Elagabalus 363 moderately scarce compared to contemporary denarii. Hoard evidence from Roman military camps along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as civilian urban settlement layers in Italy and Gaul, demonstrates that Severan dupondii circulated for decades, often remaining in active use alongside earlier Antonine bronzes until the monetary crises of the mid-third century AD.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Elagabalus, Rome Mint Bronze
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Chapter IV: The Severan Dynasty
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 363. ric.4.el.363
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 58, no. 363