Elagabalus Silver Antoninianus, RIC IV Elagabalus 90e

Monetary Context and the Severan Double Denarius

The monetary system inherited by Elagabalus in AD 218 remained structurally defined by the currency reforms instituted by Caracalla three years earlier. Caracalla had created the radiate silver double denarius, conventionally termed the antoninianus in modern numismatic literature, to alleviate acute imperial fiscal strain caused by military pay increases and extensive border defense expenditures. While the tariffed value of the new coin was set at two denarii, its metallic composition did not correspond to double the weight of a standard denarius; instead, it contained roughly one and a half times the silver content, providing the imperial treasury with an immediate profit upon issuance. Following Caracalla's assassination, Macrinus continued limited production of the denomination before severely restricting it, likely due to public resistance against an overvalued tariff or inflationary pressures. Upon the accession of Elagabalus following the defeat of Macrinus, the mint at Rome revived the production of radiate antoniniani alongside standard denarii. RIC IV Elagabalus 90e represents an early Severan manifestation of this resumed radiate silver coinage. However, the revival was relatively short-lived; by AD 219 or AD 220, the production of the radiate denomination in Rome ceased almost completely, leaving the denarius as the undisputed principal silver denomination of the empire until the massive reform under Gordian III in AD 238.

Mint Operation and Manufacturing Standards

RIC IV Elagabalus 90e was struck at the principal imperial mint in Rome. During the Severan period, the Roman mint operated through multiple officinae, or workshops, that divided production quotas among concurrent reverse types and denominations. Metallurgical analyses of antoniniani from this issue period demonstrate that the alloy consisted of debased argentiferous bronze containing approximately forty to forty-five percent silver, with copper making up the remainder. The coin flans were cast as circular blanks using open or hinged mould matrices and then individually heated before being struck between engraved bronze or iron dies. The obverse die, typically seated within an anvil base, received the heavier pressure, while the reverse die was held manually by a hammer-striker. The standard weight target for Severan antoniniani was theoretically calibrated around 5.0 to 5.4 grams, equivalent to approximately one-sixtieth of a Roman pound, though surviving specimens show marked weight variations due to bulk flan casting methods rather than strict al-marco weighing of individual blanks. Die axes for Rome during this era frequently adhere to six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientations, reflecting systematic die alignment procedures within the capital mint.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 90e presents a right-facing portrait bust of Elagabalus. Unlike the laureate wreath that designated the single denarius, the antoninianus was distinguished iconographically by the radiate solar crown set atop the imperial head, an attribute that served as an immediate visual indicator of denomination for illiterate and literate users across the empire. In catalogued subtype 90e, the bust treatment is specifically draped and radiate, viewed from the side or slightly three-quarters. This differentiates it from related varieties that display the emperor either with drapery and cuirass or as a bare-necked bust. The portraiture is characteristic of the adolescent style struck during the opening phases of his rule, exhibiting soft facial features, short-cropped hair beneath the rays of the crown, and the absence of the fuller beard that appeared in the final years of the reign. The design served an immediate political objective: establishing the young ruler's identity as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, directly linking him visually and iconographically to his purported father Caracalla and grandfather Septimius Severus.

Reverse Typology: Jupiter the Preserver

The reverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 90e depicts Jupiter, the supreme deity of the Roman state pantheon, standing facing left. He is rendered in the heroic nude tradition, with a mantle or chlamys cast over his left shoulder and falling behind his back. In his lowered right hand, Jupiter holds a thunderbolt, the primary weapon of his divine authority, while his raised left hand rests upon a tall sceptre. Positioned at his feet on the ground to the left stands an eagle, the sacred bird and theriomorphic attendant of the god, looking upward or back toward its master. On the right side of the field stand two vertical legionary standards, adorned with round phalerae and banners. This intricate composition merges cosmic divine protection with concrete military allegiance. Rather than projecting foreign or unconventional religious motifs, this reverse adheres strictly to traditional Roman state religion. Jupiter Conservator, or Jupiter the Preserver, is invoked directly as the patron who safeguards both the physical life of the emperor and the stability of the state through the loyal arms of the Roman army.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The legends on RIC IV Elagabalus 90e follow precise imperial titulature and dedicatory conventions. The obverse legend reads IMP ANTONINVS AVG, circling the bust clockwise from the lower left. This terse formula features the praenomen imperatoris IMP, identifying the ruler as the supreme military commander, followed by his official imperial name ANTONINVS and the standard title AVG for Augustus. The deliberate adoption of the name Antoninus was central to Severan dynastic propaganda, concealing his Syrian origin and original name, Varius Avitus Bassianus, beneath the venerated Antonine lineage. The reverse legend carries the dedication IOVI CONSERVATORI in the dative case, reading 'To Jupiter the Preserver'. By framing the legend in the dative case, the mint cast the coin design as a formal, perpetual vow or dedication from the emperor and senate to the deity. Letterforms on the Roman dies are neat and classical, characterized by sharply cut serifs, balanced spacing, and consistent letter heights typical of the urban mint's master engravers.

Typological Variants and Chronological Placement

RIC IV Elagabalus 90e belongs to a broader series of IOVI CONSERVATORI issues produced early in Elagabalus' reign. In Roman Imperial Coinage, type 90 is subdivided into several bust varieties: 90a exhibits a draped and cuirassed bust, 90b presents a cuirassed bust alone, 90c offers a bare bust with drapery on the shoulder, 90d depicts a laureate head on the denarius, and 90e specifies the radiate and draped bust on the antoninianus. Chronologically, numismatists place this issue between AD 218 and AD 219. The brief legend IMP ANTONINVS AVG without consular or tribunician numbers was characteristic of the initial coinage struck upon his arrival in the capital or while the court was en route to Rome. Crucially, the production of antoniniani in Rome was terminated early in the reign, around AD 219; no radiate coins were struck during the later period when Elagabalus openly promoted the cult of Elagabal through the SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB and INVICTVS SACERDOS types. Consequently, type 90e can be securely assigned to the introductory phase of Severan restoration prior to the radical theological shifts that dominated the emperor's later numismatic output.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Evidence

Once issued from Rome, antoniniani of type 90e entered a complex monetary economy characterized by mixed silver denominations. Hoard evidence from across the European provinces, Britain, and the Danubian frontier reveals that Severan antoniniani circulated alongside both contemporary denarii and older Flavian, Trajanic, and Antonine silver pieces. Because the public and regional markets recognized the overtariffed nature of the antoninianus relative to its silver purity, the public frequently hoarded earlier, higher-grade denarii while passing radiate pieces in daily transactions and tax payments. When antoninianus production ceased at Rome around AD 219, existing specimens like RIC 90e remained in active circulation for decades. Many survived until the mid-third century, when the massive inflationary issues of Gordian III, Philip I, and Decius finally drove earlier Severan silver out of active circulation and into large defensive hoards buried during the military crises of the AD 250s and 260s.

References

1. The Severan Silver Coinage: Metallurgy, Production, and Metrology. pp. 112-124
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 535-538
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 90e. RIC IV Elagabalus 90e
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 36, no. 90e