Elagabalus Bronze Sestertius RIC IV Elagabalus 366d

Monetary Context

By the reign of Elagabalus (AD 218 to 222), the Roman monetary system was undergoing significant compositional stress, particularly within the silver denominations. The denarius had suffered progressive debasement through the Severan period, while the newly introduced antoninianus or double denarius briefly competed for economic dominance before its temporary suspension under Elagabalus. In contrast, the large base-metal denominations, spearheaded by the sestertius, continued to maintain a vital transactional role within urban commerce and domestic market economies across the empire. The sestertius served as the structural bridge between fractional aes coins such as the dupondius and as and the precious metal currency. Although base-metal production at the Rome mint was diminished in comparison to the immense aes outputs of the Antonine era, the striking of sestertii under Elagabalus remained essential for the payment of civil expenditures, local transactions, and public imperial propaganda throughout the western Mediterranean.

Production and Mints

Production of RIC IV Elagabalus 366d was concentrated entirely at the imperial mint of Rome. Operating under the administrative oversight of the imperial treasury, the mint utilized traditional hot-striking techniques to manufacture these substantial copper-alloy pieces. The metal alloy employed for third-century sestertii was historically orichalcum, a copper-zinc brass, though metallurgical analyses of third-century issues frequently indicate shifting zinc contents and variable lead additions. Blanks were cast in moulds, often producing slightly irregular flan edges, and subsequently hammered between heavy bronze or iron dies. The mint of Rome during this period operated with multiple organized officinae responsible for producing distinct reverse types and denominations in parallel, maintaining high artistic standards in portrait die-engraving despite the turbulent political atmosphere of the imperial court.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 366d features a right-facing portrait bust of the young emperor. Distinct within the wider series of type 366, sub-variety 'd' specifically dictates that the bust is laureate, draped, and cuirassed. The imperial wreath of laurel leaves crowns the head, tied with fillets extending down the nape of the neck, while fabric drapery folds across the shoulder and chest over formal military plate armour. Engravers at Rome depicted Elagabalus with youthful features, reflecting his accession in his early teens. The inclusion of both drapery and cuirass conveys an intentional balance between civil dignity and military authority, aligning the young ruler with standard imperial portrait conventions established by earlier Severan emperors.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse iconography presents Pax, the Roman personification of peace, advancing towards the left. She is depicted draped in long classical garments that billow lightly as she strides forward. In her extended right hand, she elevates an olive branch, the universal ancient symbol of pacification and prosperity. Her left arm supports a vertical sceptre or transverse staff, denoting peaceful dominion and sovereign authority. The letters S and C flank the figure in the left and right fields, representing Senatus Consulto. This long-standing formula recorded the traditional constitutional fiction that Roman base-metal coinage was issued under the formal decree and authority of the Senate, reinforcing institutional continuity in Rome.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, rendered continuously along the circular border. This epigraphic formula asserts the emperor's official imperial identity: Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus. By adopting the names of Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus, Elagabalus emphasized his purported direct lineage to Caracalla and the Antonine dynasty, designed to secure the loyalty of the praetorians and legions. The reverse inscription reads PAX AVGVSTI, meaning 'the Peace of the Augustus'. Combined with S C, this titular legend proclaims the civil harmony, security, and internal tranquility supposedly established or safeguarded by the ruling emperor, serving as an ideological counterweight to contemporary political instability.

Typology and Chronology

RIC IV Elagabalus 366 encompasses multiple sestertius sub-types distinguished strictly by their obverse bust drapery and cuirass arrangements. Within Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham's classification in Roman Imperial Coinage, type 366d denotes the specific combination of a laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust facing right. Other catalogued variants within the type family omit the cuirass or drapery (such as laureate, draped right). Because the legends lack specific tribunician numbers or consulships, the type cannot be assigned to a narrow calendar month, spanning generally between AD 218 and 222. However, stylistic portrait analysis developed in subsequent studies, such as the British Museum catalogue, suggests that unhorned, youthful Severan portraits of this variety predominantly characterize the middle-to-later portions of his four-year reign.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Sestertii of Elagabalus circulated extensively through western provincial markets, military cantonments, and the Italian heartland. Hoard data from Roman Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces indicate that Severan sestertii remained in active circulation for decades alongside earlier Antonine aes, often surviving until the general collapse of base-metal bronze denominations during the mid-third century crisis. Because of their substantial weight standard, commonly averaging between 18 and 24 grams across early third-century production, sestertii of this period frequently exhibit signs of prolonged handling, surface wear, and countermarking in local frontier environments before final deposition.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 580-585
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 366d. ric.4.el.366d
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 58, no. 366d