Elagabalus Silver Antoninianus, RIC IV Elagabalus 138f

Monetary Context and the Severan Antoninianus

The antoninianus denomination represented one of the most consequential fiscal innovations of the third century AD. Introduced in early AD 215 by Caracalla, whose official imperial name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the denomination was distinguished visually by a radiate crown for the emperor or a crescent moon beneath the bust for the Augusta. Legally and commercially, the new coin was tariffed at two denarii, yet its physical weight averaged approximately one and a half times that of a contemporary denarius, typically hovering between 4.8 and 5.2 grams at inception. This disparity generated an immediate overvaluation of approximately twenty-five percent, yielding substantial profit for the imperial treasury while simultaneously intensifying inflationary pressure across the Roman monetary system. Under Macrinus and the subsequent accession of Elagabalus in AD 218, the imperial administration continued production of the radiate coin at reduced silver purities, with mean fineness dropping toward forty-five to fifty percent silver. However, within the first two years of the reign of Elagabalus, the strike volume of the antoninianus declined precipitously relative to the denarius. By late AD 219, mint authorities at Rome suspended regular production of silver antoniniani altogether, choosing to concentrate precious metal output almost exclusively into traditional denarii. As an early product of this brief Severan issue window, RIC IV Elagabalus 138f occupies a critical transition point, reflecting both the temporary continuation of Caracalla's fiscal legacy and the impending dormancy of the radiate denomination until its comprehensive reintroduction under Balbinus, Pupienus, and Gordian III in AD 238.

Production Standards and Mint Allocation

The production of RIC IV Elagabalus 138f took place at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the initial months following the victory over Macrinus at the Battle of Antioch in June AD 218, the eastern administrative apparatus struck imperial coinage at Antioch, but Rome remained the dominant operational facility for mainstream western production. The Rome mint was divided into multiple distinct working officinae, each designated to engrave dies and process allocated bullion allotments for specific reverse concepts. Die studies of early Severan coinage indicate that antoninianus dies were cut with broader portrait fields than contemporary denarii to accommodate the radiate spike crown and wide flans. The metal alloy employed for RIC IV Elagabalus 138f consisted of a quaternary base-silver mixture containing roughly forty-three to fifty percent silver, balanced by copper, lead, and traces of tin. Blanks were cast in open or bivalve mold sprues and then pre-treated with chemical blanching to dissolve surface copper prior to striking, which imparted a bright silver appearance to freshly minted specimens. Weight standards for antoniniani from this issue typically range between 4.5 and 5.5 grams, although loose mass controls at the Rome mint occasionally yielded flans slightly outside this bracket. Striking was executed by hand between hand-held punch and anvil dies, leading to the axial alignments typically adhering to a standard six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation characteristic of Severan Roman practice.

Obverse Iconography and Bust Variant

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 138f presents the radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus facing right. In the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, the letter suffix f specifically designates the combined draped and cuirassed bust form, distinguishing it from alternative varieties such as bare laureate, cuirassed only, or draped only. The imperial portrait depicts the young emperor with youthful facial features, smooth cheeks, and closely cropped hair typical of his accession imagery prior to later representations featuring sideburns or ritual horned headpieces. The primary diagnostic attribute of the denomination is the radiate crown, featuring prominent solar spikes rising from a decorated diadem band around the head. This solar headdress symbolically linked the princeps with Sol, while simultaneously functioning as a pragmatic denomination marker indicating a two-denarius value. The detailed drapery covers the left shoulder and wraps around the neck, while metallic elements of the cuirass, such as pteryges or breastplate margins, appear at the shoulder and chest, projecting a conventional image of commander-in-chief alongside divine solar favor.

Reverse Iconography of Salus

The reverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 138f is dedicated to Salus, the Roman personification of health, personal safety, and public wellbeing. In this specific composition, Salus is depicted draped in a stola and mantle, standing with her body oriented to the right. Cradled securely within her arms is a sacred serpent, which rears its head toward a shallow patera or dish held in the goddess's left hand. Salus offers nourishment to the serpent, a motif deeply rooted in Graeco-Roman sacred traditions associating snakes with healing, rejuvenation, and the cult of Aesculapius. The iconography conveys both physical health and divine preservation for the ruler. Unlike reverse compositions where Salus is seated on a throne feeding a snake coiled around an altar, the standing posture creates an intimate, active interaction between the divinity and the serpent. The deliberate choice to depict Salus feeding the creature in her own arms emphasizes direct, benevolent guardianship over the imperial person, assuring citizens and soldiers that the young emperor remained under constant celestial protection.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 138f reflect the strict political ideology of the early Severan restoration. The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, fully transcribed as Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. By claiming the praenomen, nomen, and cognomen of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the teenage Syrian priest Varius Avitus Bassianus erased his non-Roman origin in public record, explicitly presenting himself as the natural son and rightful successor of Caracalla. The title Imperator functions as the triumphant praenomen, Caesar designates imperial lineage, and Augustus concludes the royal hierarchy. The reverse legend reads SALVS ANTONINI AVG, transcribing as Salus Antonini Augusti, which translates into English as The Health of Antoninus Augustus. Rather than employing the generalized invocation Salus Publica or Salus Augusti, the mint authorities chose the personal genitive Antonini, tying the preservation of the Roman state directly to the physical survival and health of Antoninus himself. The lettering across both faces is executed in clean, classical Latin capitals typical of the seasoned Rome mint die-sinkers, with neat serifs and regular letter spacing.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV Part II, the SALVS ANTONINI AVG series under Elagabalus is catalogued under numbers 137 and 138, distinguished by minor variations in bust drape, cuirass detailing, and orientation. RIC 138f identifies the specific sub-type featuring the radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust facing right. Chronologically, this entire emission is assigned to the very beginning of the reign, spanning the period of AD 218 to 219. Several numismatic indicators substantiate this narrow chronological placement. First, the obverse legend lacks all iterations of consular numbers, tribunician power counts, and the title Pontifex Maximus, which became standard on dated imperial reverse types later in AD 219 through AD 222. Second, antoniniani bearing the portrait of Elagabalus are entirely absent from the middle and late years of his reign, confirming that production of the denomination ceased before the emperor adopted his later religious epithets and priestly iconography. While general reference catalogues may mark the broad date boundaries of the reign as AD 218 to 222, the actual striking window for type 138f was confined to AD 218 and early AD 219, after which the Rome mint redirected its silver bullion into traditional denarii carrying identical or updated reverse themes.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Evidence

The circulation life of RIC IV Elagabalus 138f was shaped directly by the abrupt cessation of the antoninianus in AD 219 and the sweeping monetary reforms of the mid-third century AD. Hoard data from the European frontiers, particularly across Roman Britain, the Rhine-Danube limes, and the Gallic provinces, show that Severan antoniniani circulated side-by-side with denarii of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Severus Alexander for several decades. Because Caracalla and Elagabalus struck antoniniani with an intrinsic silver value inferior to two individual denarii, the general public frequently treated them with caution, although Gresham's Law did not immediately force them out of circulation due to the continuous debasement of subsequent denarius issues. When the antoninianus was re-established as the primary Roman silver denomination in AD 238, earlier radiate specimens like RIC 138f experienced renewed utility, often circulating alongside issues of Gordian III and Philip I. By the reign of Trajan Decius and the mid-third century inflationary crisis of Valerian and Gallienus, surviving antoniniani of Elagabalus were heavily worn or melted down in imperial re-coining drives to extract their higher silver contents compared to the severely debased billon pieces of the AD 260s.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. pp. 85-112
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Accession of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 582-610
3. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
4. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 145-153
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 138f. ric.4.el.138f
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 26-44, no. 138