Elagabalus Silver Antoninianus, RIC IV Elagabalus 70f

Monetary Context and the Antoninianus

The monetary system of the early third century AD operated under mounting fiscal strain caused by increased military expenditures, donatives, and imperial debasement. In AD 215, the emperor Caracalla introduced a new silver denomination, identified in modern numismatic literature as the antoninianus or radiate double denarius. This coin was officially tariffed at two denarii, yet contemporary metallurgical analyses reveal that it was struck at a weight equivalent to approximately 1.5 denarii and with a comparable or slightly lower silver purity. This discrepancy created an inherent overvaluation that allowed the imperial fiscus to extract substantial fiscal profits by melting down older, purer denarii to strike the new radiates. Following the assassination of Caracalla and the short-lived reign of Macrinus, Elagabalus assumed the purple in AD 218 amid heavy monetary obligations to the legions that had facilitated his accession. During the opening phases of his rule, the imperial administration continued the extensive minting of antoniniani to fulfill cash distributions and military pay. However, the economic viability of the denomination remained precarious. Because the public recognized the intrinsic disparity between one antoninianus and two conventional denarii, the dual-denomination system created inflationary pressures and hoarding anomalies. Consequently, around late AD 219 or early 220, the imperial government suspended regular production of the antoninianus at Rome and provincial mints. The denarius once again became the exclusive base-silver coin of the empire until the radiate denomination was formally reintroduced on a massive scale by Balbinus and Pupienus in AD 238.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC IV Elagabalus 70f was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the early Severan period, the Rome mint operated multiple specialized workshops, or officinae, which maintained strict administrative oversight over alloy preparation, blank flan casting, and die engraving. While eastern mint facilities, particularly at Antioch, also struck base-silver coinage for Elagabalus, the distinct stylistic execution of RIC IV Elagabalus 70f demonstrates the neat portraiture, balanced lettering, and circular flan preparation characteristic of the central Italian establishment. Technically, the antoninianus was produced from cast silver blanks hammered between hand-carved bronze or iron dies. Metallurgical testing conducted on Roman imperial radiates of this period demonstrates an average silver fineness hovering between 40 and 50 percent, with the remainder composed primarily of copper along with minor trace elements such as tin and lead. The intended weight standard for the denomination was nominally centered around 5.0 to 5.2 grams, though individual struck specimens exhibit considerable variation, frequently ranging from 4.2 to 5.8 grams due to al marco striking practices where batches of flans were weighed collectively rather than individually. Flans often exhibit minor striations, file marks, or irregular edges resulting from blank production and rapid striking under high military demand.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 70f features the youthful portrait of Elagabalus facing right, wearing a radiate crown along with both drapery and a military cuirass. In Roman imperial numismatics, the radiate crown functioned as the definitive denominational marker for radiate silver, distinguishing the double denarius from the laurel-crowned single denarius, just as it differentiated the dupondius from the laureate as in the bronze series. The solar crown held deep symbolic associations with Sol Invictus, an ideological alignment that became increasingly pronounced under Elagabalus, who served as high priest of the Emesene sun deity Elagabal. Within the broader typographic framework of RIC IV 70, variant 'f' is distinguished specifically by the complete bust arrangement: radiate, draped, and cuirassed. Other entries in the RIC IV 70 sub-classification record alternate bust configurations, including draped only or cuirassed only variants. On well-preserved dies, the engravers at Rome rendered the emperor's features with delicate, idealized lines, depicting short cropped curls, smooth adolescent facial features, and neatly folded mantle fabric pinned over the shoulder armor. The combined presence of the paludamentum (military cloak) and cuirass projected an image of military readiness, vital for a ruler whose imperial authority rested entirely upon army support.

Reverse Iconography of Fides Exercitus

The reverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 70f portrays Fides, the Roman personification of fidelity, trust, and religious good faith, configured specifically within a military setting. She is depicted draped in long classical garments, seated facing left upon a low stool or curule chair. In her right hand she extends a legionary eagle (aquila), the sacred principal standard of the Roman legion, while in her left hand she cradles a military standard (signum). An additional vertical signum is planted firmly in the ground directly before her seated figure. This rich cluster of military insignia makes the allegorical intent unmistakable. Unlike the general personification of Fides Publica, who commonly holds ears of corn or a dish of fruits, Fides Exercitus is intimately linked to the soldiers' sacred oath of service (sacramentum militare). The presence of the aquila and dual standards emphasizes unity across legionary cohorts and auxiliary formations. By placing Fides in a seated, stable posture, the coin's designers visually communicated that imperial security and domestic peace were firmly rooted in the steadfast devotion of the armed forces stationed across the imperial frontiers.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse legend on RIC IV Elagabalus 70f reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviated Latin formula expanding to 'Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus'. This inscription was adopted deliberately to affirm the young ruler's claimed dynastic lineage as the legitimate son of Caracalla and the true heir to the Antonine legacy. The omission of specific tribunician years or consulships in this legend presents a timeless, universal imperial titulature, standard for the earliest general issues produced at Rome before the detailed datable formulas of subsequent administrative cycles became dominant. The reverse legend, FIDES EXERCITVS, translates directly as 'Loyalty of the Army'. The epigraphy on Roman urban mint issues of this period is typically characterized by well-formed capital letters with small serifs, arranged circumferentially along an outer pelleted border. Epigraphically, the phrase functions as both an assertion of existing military solidarity and a perpetual appeal to the legions to maintain their loyalty toward the young emperor. In Roman political discourse, military loyalty was not merely an abstract virtue but a contractual necessity; the legend thus served as a public affirmation of harmony between the princeps and the military apparatus.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within the standard cataloguing scheme of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Elagabalus 70 comprises a widespread reverse type paired with several obverse bust variations, catalogued alphabetically from 70a through 70f. Sub-type 70f isolates the specific pairing where the youthful bust is radiate, draped, and cuirassed right, accompanied by the standard early obverse formula IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG. In Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), this type is maintained under the unique identifier ric.4.el.70f. Chronologically, while the broad reign of Elagabalus spanned from AD 218 to AD 222, the actual striking window for RIC IV Elagabalus 70f is much more restricted. Production of antoniniani under Elagabalus was concentrated heavily in the first two years of his reign, commencing upon the consolidation of his authority in AD 218 and terminating around the close of AD 219. The absence of subsequent consulship markers or later priesthood titles such as Sacerdos Dei Solis Elagabali, which appear on denarii from AD 220 onwards, confirms that RIC IV Elagabalus 70f belongs strictly to this foundational monetary phase at the Rome mint.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Because the antoninianus of Elagabalus was struck in significant volumes during AD 218 and 219, specimens of RIC IV Elagabalus 70f entered broad commercial and military circulation throughout the European and Mediterranean provinces. Hoard evidence from Roman Britain, Gaul, Germany, and the Danube frontier shows that antoniniani of Caracalla and Elagabalus often circulated side by side with contemporary denarii, though their circulation lifespan was shaped by Gresham's Law. Because the radiates possessed an unfavorable intrinsic silver content relative to their face value, private individuals frequently spent them while selectively hoarding older, higher-grade denarii of the Antonine era. When the antoninianus was suspended in AD 219, existing radiates continued to change hands for several decades, albeit at a reduced velocity. Many survived until the middle of the third century AD, when the disastrous hyper-debasements under Gordian III, Philip I, and Decius resulted in massive recovery, remelting, and restriking of earlier billon issues. Hoards deposited during the Crisis of the Third Century, such as the Dorchester hoard in Britain, frequently contain small tranches of Elagabalus antoniniani displaying moderate to heavy circulation wear, confirming that coins of type RIC IV Elagabalus 70f remained functional currency long after their initial issue.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 535-538
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 470-482
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 70f. ric.4.el.70f
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 33-34, no. 70f