Elagabalus Bronze Sestertius, RIC IV Elagabalus 318b

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

By the reign of Elagabalus (AD 218-222), the Roman monetary system was undergoing significant fiscal pressure, marked by recurring debasements of the precious-metal denominations, notably the silver denarius and the newly introduced double denarius or antoninianus. In contrast, the sestertius retained its traditional structural role within the Orichalcum and bronze hierarchy as established under the Augustan reforms. Valued at one quarter of a denarius or four asses, the sestertius remained the predominant base-metal coin in civil accounting, public contract payments, and mid-level market commerce across Italy and the western provinces. Because of its expansive surface area and heavy flan, the denomination served as an indispensable visual medium for state and dynastic ideology. While earlier Severan issues of Septimius Severus and Caracalla maintained an average sestertius weight near twenty-five grams, gradual adjustments to metallurgical alloy and mass under Elagabalus reflected the intensifying logistical and economic demands of imperial administration in Rome.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC IV Elagabalus 318b was produced exclusively by the imperial mint in the city of Rome. Operating under centralized bureaucratic control, the officinae responsible for base-metal coinage struck these heavy pieces on cast, heated brass flans using hinged or carefully aligned hand-held dies. Unlike the eastern provincial issues struck in Syrian or Phoenician mints with local Greek inscriptions, this imperial sestertius strictly adhered to senatorial conventions, as signified by the prominent letters S C (Senatus Consulto) positioned in the lower field. Typical flans for this series measure approximately thirty to thirty-two millimeters in diameter, with weights normally clustering in the range of twenty to twenty-four grams, though broader variations frequently occur due to the practice of striking al marco rather than individual piece weighing. The metallurgical composition generally consisted of orichalcum (a copper-zinc brass alloy), although late Severan brass frequently incorporated increased trace amounts of tin and lead.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 318b presents a right-facing portrait bust of Elagabalus. In accordance with the precise sub-type classification established by Mattingly and Sydenham, this catalogued variant specifically features a laureate and draped bust, distinguishing it from related companion dies bearing a laureate, draped, and cuirassed portrait (classified as RIC 318a). The emperor is shown as an adolescent youth, with idealized Severan facial contours intended to reinforce his claimed paternity as the son of Caracalla. The laurel wreath rests securely on his short, curled hair, tied at the nape with ribbon ends that extend down the back of the neck. Heavy textile drapery folds encircle the shoulders and upper chest, imparting a stately, dignified image that harmonized traditional senatorial expectations with Severan imperial authority.

Reverse Iconography and Solar Symbolism

The reverse iconography depicts the radiant deity Sol marching vigorously toward the left. Sol is represented as an athletic, youthful figure, naked except for a chlamys (cloak) draped across the left shoulder and billowing slightly behind him as he strides forward. His head is adorned with a halo of solar rays symbolizing celestial illumination. In his left hand, the god grasps a braided whip, an attribute derived from his mythological role as the charioteer who guides the celestial quadriga across the heavens. His right arm is elevated with an open palm outstretched in an ancient gesture of cosmic power, beneficence, and morning epiphany. Placed in the upper or mid-left field is a single star, an astral symbol closely connected with Near Eastern and Roman solar theologies. The overall design emphasizes the ascendancy of the supreme celestial god whose devotion was championed by Elagabalus as hereditary high priest of Elagabal.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 318b are executed in clear, monumental Latin capital letters typical of Rome's primary workshops. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, an abbreviated form of Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus. This nomenclature explicitly invoked the revered Antonine lineage, asserting legitimate succession and divine piety. The reverse carries the extensive imperial title legend P M TR P IIII COS III P P S C, which unrolls as Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Quarta, Consul Tertium, Pater Patriae, Senatus Consulto. The inscription documents Elagabalus's supreme religious position as chief pontiff, his fourth iteration of tribunician authority, his third consulship, his paternal honor as father of the fatherland, and the traditional senatorial authority governing the issuance of Roman bronze currency.

Typology and Chronological Placement

The dating of RIC IV Elagabalus 318b is securely anchored to the year AD 221 by its reverse titular formula. Elagabalus held his third consulship alongside his cousin Alexander Severus during AD 220 and began his fourth tribunician renewal late in AD 220, running through late AD 221. Consequently, coins combining TR P IIII with COS III belong precisely to the production calendar of AD 221. Within the typology of the Roman Imperial Coinage catalogue, type 318 constitutes the major bronze sestertius series struck for this annual title with the advancing Sol reverse. The sub-type 318b is segregated strictly by bust drapery, separated from the fully cuirassed variant 318a and related variants lacking the star or featuring Sol in a standing rather than advancing posture. This clear chronological framework makes the issue a diagnostic anchor for dating contemporary hoard deposits and architectural strata.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Following its distribution from the Rome mint, RIC IV Elagabalus 318b circulated broadly across Italy, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces, where Roman military and civilian populations relied heavily on base-metal sestertii for minor commercial exchanges. Because the sestertius was an enduring utilitarian denomination, individual specimens often remained in active circulation for decades, frequently surviving in circulation pools well into the third-century military crises under the Gordians and Decius. Consequently, many recovered specimens exhibit moderate to heavy wear on the high points of the portrait and the solar rays. Surviving specimens are distributed across major institutional numismatic collections and archaeological excavation finds, providing critical physical evidence for currency velocity and Severan monetary supply patterns across the Western Roman world.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. p. 593
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 57, no. 318b
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 318b. ric.4.el.318b