Elagabalus Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Elagabalus 137e

Monetary Context and the Severan Double Denarius

The antoninianus, known in contemporary Roman terminology simply as a radiate silver piece or double denarius, was instituted in AD 215 under Caracalla to alleviate acute state deficits caused by military pay increases and extensive public building programs. Valued legally at two standard denarii, the newly introduced denomination possessed a physical mass equivalent to only approximately 1.5 denarii, generally hovering between 5.0 and 5.3 grams at its inception. This structural overvaluation offered an immediate fiscal premium to the imperial fiscus, but it simultaneously subjected the traditional denarius to inflationary displacement under Gresham's Law. Following Caracalla's assassination in AD 217, the usurper Macrinus curtailed and ultimately suspended the striking of radiate pieces, seeking to restore monetary confidence by returning to the unaugmented denarius. Upon his accession in mid-218, Elagabalus briefly reauthorized the issuance of the double denarius across both Rome and eastern branch operations to fulfill accession donatives to the legionary forces that had installed him. RIC IV Elagabalus 137e belongs to this restorative phase of Severan radiate coinage, representing an ephemeral revival of the denomination before imperial authorities phased out regular production in AD 219 in favor of an exclusive denarius-based silver policy.

Mint Production and Metallurgical Composition

The manufacture of RIC IV Elagabalus 137e was centralized at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the Severan period, the urban mint operated through a series of organized officinae, each tasked with preparing flans, cutting dies, and striking designated reverse themes. Silver flans for antoniniani under Elagabalus were cast in multi-cavity moulds, resulting in slightly irregular, oval, or scalloped planchets prior to striking between hard-tempered bronze or iron dies. The silver fineness of Elagabalus's antoniniani reflected the ongoing degradation of the imperial currency, fluctuating around 43 to 48 percent silver content, with the remainder composed of a copper-rich base alloy and trace impurities of lead and bismuth. The target striking weight followed the reduced Caracallan standard, generally clustering near 5.0 grams, although observed specimens exhibit notable variability due to batch-weighing practices at the mint. Die alignment typically exhibits an upright or slightly offset orientation, characteristic of manual hammer-striking operations where dies were adjusted by mint workers between successive blows.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Representation

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 137e displays the right-facing bust of Elagabalus, rendered with radiate crown and drapery. The radiate solar crown served as the indispensable numismatic marker of the double denarius, functioning as a denominational indicator to distinguish the piece immediately from the laureate denarius. In Severan portraiture, the radiate crown additionally invoked Sol Invictus and Helios, projecting divine vitality and cosmic sanction upon the adolescent ruler. Type 137e is distinguished catalogically from other sub-varieties of RIC 137 by the combination of drapery without the military cuirass, depicting the emperor in civilian imperial vestments rather than full battle harness. The portraiture is youthful and idealized, reflecting the emperor's arrival in Rome in AD 219 as an adolescent asserting hereditary continuity. The die engraving demonstrates the classical, deeply modeled Severan style of the central Roman mint, contrasting sharply with the coarser, angular portraiture executed at contemporary eastern facilities such as Antioch.

Reverse Iconography: Salus and the Sacred Serpent

The reverse of the coin is devoted to the goddess Salus, depicted draped and standing right, holding a serpent in her arms and feeding it from a patera held in her left hand. Salus occupied a venerable position in Roman religious statecraft as the divine guarantor of health, physical preservation, and the collective well-being of the Commonwealth. Her iconography had deep classical roots, drawing upon the Greek Hygieia and the cult of Aesculapius introduced to Rome's Tiber Island in the third century BC. Feeding the sacred serpent symbolized ritual piety and the continuous maintenance of the divine favor necessary to avert physical illness, treason, and military calamity. By depicting Salus actively tending the serpent in her arms, the composition emphasized ongoing imperial care and divine protection. In the context of Elagabalus's precarious dynastic positioning, this visual reassurance was targeted particularly at the senatorial elite and urban populace of Rome, who viewed the incoming Syrian ruler with cultural apprehension.

Epigraphic Program and Ideological Messaging

The epigraphic composition of RIC IV Elagabalus 137e presents a coordinated ideological program. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG, expanding to Imperator Caesar Antoninus Augustus. This inscription omits the patronymic lineage formulae sometimes employed by Severan propagandists, focusing instead on the essential core of imperial authority. The prominent placement of the name Antoninus was central to the regime's legitimacy: Julia Maesa and the Emesene dynasts had installed Varius Avitus Bassianus under the official claim that he was the natural son of Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus). The reverse legend, SALVS ANTONINI AVG, translates as 'The Salvation (or Health) of Antoninus Augustus.' Unlike broader civic legends such as SALVS AVGG or SALVS PVBLICA, this inscription explicitly personalizes the goddess's guardianship, dedicating her protection to the physical person and reign of the emperor himself. The lettering across both faces is executed in regular, high-relief Roman capitals, neatly bordered by an unbroken outer ring of dots.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification established in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV, Part 2, type 137 encompasses several bust treatments sharing the reverse legend SALVS ANTONINI AVG and the right-facing Salus motif. Variety 137e is explicitly defined by its radiate, draped bust facing right without cuirass. While the overarching catalogue dating spans Elagabalus's entire reign from AD 218 to 222, numismatic chronology securely narrows the active production of these antoniniani. Historical and hoard evidence confirms that the Rome mint ceased striking silver radiates by late AD 219. During the subsequent years of the reign, silver output was restricted almost entirely to the denarius and quinarius. Consequently, RIC 137e was struck primarily during the first issue period at Rome, extending from the initial recognition of Elagabalus following the defeat of Macrinus in June 218 until the reorganization of Rome's officinae in late 219. Neighboring types in the series include RIC 137a through 137d, which feature alternative obverse drapery schemes, cuirassed busts, or left-facing portraits.

Hoard Evidence and Circulation Lifespan

Although struck in substantial numbers during the brief opening window of Elagabalus's reign, antoniniani of RIC 137e enjoyed a peculiar circulation life due to rapid shifts in Roman currency policy. Following the cessation of the denomination around AD 219, existing radiate pieces circulated alongside standard denarii in both western and Danubian military provinces. Because antoniniani carried an artificial tariff of two denarii despite containing the silver equivalent of only 1.5, they were frequently preferred for state disbursements, while private hoarders systematically sequestered heavier denarii of earlier reigns. In western hoards from Gaul, Britain, and the Rhine frontier, Elagabalus's antoniniani appear in moderate proportions, often showing moderate to heavy surface wear consistent with sustained circulation through the AD 220s and 230s. When the antoninianus was formally revived under Balbinus and Pupienus in AD 238 and expanded dramatically by Gordian III, older Severan radiates were gradually drawn into melting pots for reminting into debased mid-third-century billon issues.

References

1. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 581-594
2. The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine with Addenda to RIC IV. Supplement on Severan radiate typology
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. 142-146
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 137e. Type record ric.4.el.137e
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 38-40, no. 137e
7. Under Divine Auspices: Divine Ideology and the Visualisation of Imperial Power in the Severan Period. pp. 165-178