Elagabalus Sestertius, RIC IV Elagabalus 377

Monetary Context

During the Severan dynasty, the sestertius maintained its venerable status as the primary base-metal denomination of the Roman imperial monetary system. While the silver denarius and the newly introduced double denarius (antoninianus) underwent progressive debasement in fineness, the large copper-alloy sestertius continued to function as an indispensable medium for everyday civic commerce, accounting, and imperial propaganda. Struck in orichalcum or brass alloys, sestertii carried significant intrinsic and nominal weight, providing an expansive circular flan that made them the preferred platform for elaborate political and religious communication. When Elagabalus ascended the throne in AD 218 following the defeat of Macrinus, his administration required prompt and widespread dissemination of imperial legitimacy across the capital and the western provinces. Sestertii such as RIC IV Elagabalus 377 were issued within this framework to project stability and military victory. By circulating alongside earlier Severan, Antonine, and high-imperial brass coinage, these large tokens underscored uninterrupted continuity in state finance and Roman civic life despite the political upheaval surrounding the imperial succession.

Production and Minting Operations

RIC IV Elagabalus 377 was produced at the imperial mint of Rome, the sole facility authorized to manufacture imperial sestertii during this reign. Mint operations relied on the preparation of heavy copper-alloy flans, commonly cast in composite mould sequences and subsequently trimmed or smoothed prior to striking. Metallurgical analyses of contemporary third-century sestertii indicate that while earlier orichalcum issues of the first and second centuries AD possessed a high zinc content, third-century bronze coinage frequently exhibited a reduced zinc proportion alongside minor additions of lead and tin to facilitate metal flow within large dies. The striking process required several workmen, including an operative to set the heated or annealed blank over the lower obverse anvil die and another to strike the upper reverse punch die with a heavy hammer. Die axes for this issue generally conform to the standard Roman imperial alignment, predominantly favoring a vertical or semi-vertical orientation (such as 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock). Engravers at the Rome mint executed the portrait and reverse figural scenes with practiced technical skill, maintaining deep relief and sharp lettering characteristic of established metropolitan ateliers.

Obverse Portraiture and Typology

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 377 presents a right-facing bust of Elagabalus, depicted as laureate, draped, and cuirassed. The imperial bust emphasizes military authority through the inclusion of the cuirass, visible at the chest and neck, overlaid with classical paludamentum drapery fastened at the shoulder. The laurel wreath encircles the youth's head, tied at the nape of the neck with its ribbons flowing down onto the back of the neck and upper mantle. In contrast to his later and increasingly idiosyncratic portrayals that incorporated the horn or ceremonial robes associated with the sun god of Emesa, this portrait adheres firmly to traditional imperial military conventions. Engravers rendered the facial features of the young emperor with smooth facial contours, a slightly upturned nose, and closely cropped hair crowned by crisp laurel foliage. The entire portrait is framed within a continuous border of fine dots, balancing the substantial size of the sestertius flan and establishing a visual presence that directly recalled the imagery of Caracalla, whom Elagabalus was officially claimed to succeed as son.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse design of the sestertius displays the winged goddess Victory advancing briskly to the right. Her classical garment, the peplos or chiton, is rendered with undulating folds that convey swift forward momentum across an implied ground line. In her outstretched right hand, Victory holds a circular laurel wreath, representing the bestowal of military triumph upon the reigning emperor. Over her left shoulder, she rests a long palm branch, an enduring Greco-Roman attribute symbolizing enduring conquest, athletic triumph, and peace achieved through martial prowess. Flanking the lower fields of the composition are the bold capital letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. This long-standing epigraphic formula proclaimed the formal sanction of the Roman Senate for the striking of base-metal coinage. The composition is balanced and active, capturing the winged personification in mid-stride. Through this design, the regime broadcast divine endorsement of the newly installed Antonine prince, reassuring the Roman public and the military that the empire enjoyed supernatural protection and continuous victory over both internal rivals and external threats.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The legends on RIC IV Elagabalus 377 are executed in clear Roman capitals, arranged in an unbroken circumferential arc within beaded borders. The obverse reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, representing the formula Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus. This epigraphic sequence systematically incorporates the core titles of absolute imperial power: Imperator as the premier military command title, Caesar and Augustus as supreme dynastic designations, and Pius as an epithet emphasizing dutiful devotion to the gods, the state, and the dynastic memory of Caracalla and Septimius Severus. The reverse bears the inscription VICTORIA ANTONINVS AVG, terminating with the field abbreviation S C. Notably, the grammatical form ANTONINVS appears on this type in the nominative rather than the customary genitive form ANTONINI, an epigraphic variant recorded in early modern and modern numismatic corpora that links the concept of imperial victory directly with the person of the emperor. The accompanying letters S C reaffirm senatorial legal sanction over base-metal issues, preserving the constitutional fiction of shared monetary governance established during the Augustan principate.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Catalogued under the reference RIC IV.2 377 in the standard Roman Imperial Coinage corpus, this sestertius type belongs to the general undated series produced during the reign of Elagabalus, spanning AD 218 to 222. Because the legends lack specific iterations of the tribunician power (Tribunicia Potestas) or consulships, establishing an exact yearly bracket within the four-year reign requires stylistic and typological analysis. Numismatists generally assign issues displaying standard military portraits and traditional Roman reverse deities either to the opening phase of the reign, following the initial pacification of the eastern provinces and arrival at Rome in AD 219, or as parallel non-dated civic issues struck throughout the medium term of his rule. RIC IV Elagabalus 377 is distinct from concurrent issues that introduce priestly eastern robes or solar temple imagery, representing instead the conservative metropolitan baseline of Severan propaganda. Die links and stylistic comparisons with dated sestertii from AD 218 to 220 suggest that production of this Victory type was concentrated in the earlier half of the reign, when establishing the young ruler's identity as a victorious Antonine was of paramount importance to the imperial administration.

Circulation and Monetary Function

Following production at the Rome mint, sestertii of RIC IV Elagabalus 377 entered broad circulation across the central Mediterranean, the Italian peninsula, and the western provinces, including Gaul, Britain, and the Danubian frontier. In archaeological contexts, third-century sestertii frequently appear in military base deposits, urban market debris, and multi-generational hoards. The physical durability of thick brass flans allowed them to remain in active circulation for decades; many Severan sestertii continued to change hands alongside earlier Antonine issues and later third-century issues well into the reigns of Gordian III and Philip I. Wear patterns on surviving specimens attest to prolonged handling, often softening high-relief elements of the portrait and the delicate wings of Victory. Due to their high face value relative to minor copper fractions such as the dupondius and as, sestertii facilitated larger daily market transactions, tax collections, and local trade settlement. By serving both practical economic utility and pervasive ideological messaging, this sestertius type reinforced the continuity of imperial authority throughout the western Roman monetary sphere until systemic third-century inflation progressively diminished the role of heavy bronze denominations.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Elagabalus, Rome Mint Bronze Issues
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 377. ric.4.el.377
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 58, no. 377