Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 68b

Monetary Context and Weight Standard

During the reign of Elagabalus from AD 218 to 222, the denarius remained the primary silver denomination of Roman state finance, despite the earlier introduction of the double denarius or antoninianus under Caracalla in AD 215. While Caracalla had created the radiate denomination to cope with spiraling military expenditure, the mint at Rome produced fewer antoniniani during the reign of Elagabalus, instead concentrating vast striking capacity on traditional silver denarii such as RIC IV Elagabalus 68b. Under the Severan dynasty, the intrinsic precious metal content of the denarius had experienced gradual debasement. By the accession of Elagabalus, the silver fineness hovered between forty and forty-six percent, balanced with copper to maintain the physical durability of the circulating medium. The typical weight standard targeted approximately 3.0 to 3.2 grams, yielding a silver content slightly over one gram per unit. This economic policy allowed the imperial administration to sustain the elevated military pay scales enacted by Septimius Severus and Caracalla while funding extensive civil and religious ceremonies in the capital. The production of the denarius served as an instrument of state solvency and ideological projection, functioning throughout the empire as legal tender for taxes, grain purchases, and military remuneration.

Minting and Production at Rome

The production of RIC IV Elagabalus 68b is firmly attributed to the primary imperial mint in Rome. Operating with multiple organized workshops or officinae, the Rome mint utilized standardized engraved dies of hardened iron or bronze to strike planchets prepared in batch casts. The die alignment on denarii of this issue generally adhered to regular upright or inverted vertical alignments, conforming to common Roman workshop conventions of the early third century. Striking was performed by manual hammer blows upon heated flans, causing small irregularities in strike centering, flan thickness, and rim form across surviving specimens. Chemical and metallurgical analyses of Rome mint issues from this period demonstrate a consistent silver-copper binary alloy, indicating rigid central supervision over bullion refinement within the capital. The output of the Rome mint during this period was immense, fulfilling the initial cash requirements of the new regime after Elagabalus travelled from Syria to Rome in the summer of AD 219. Dies for RIC IV Elagabalus 68b were cut with high artistic competence, showing the distinct Roman workshop style in the modelling of the portrait curls, laurel ties, and graceful drapery lines.

Obverse Portrait and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 68b presents a right-facing bust of the emperor, laureate and draped. The cataloguing system of Roman Imperial Coinage classifies this specific bust variety as 68b, maintaining a typological distinction from variant 68a, which features a draped and cuirassed bust, or other bare-bust variations. On well-preserved examples, the portrait captures the youthful features of Elagabalus, displaying rounded cheeks, short curly hair crowned by the victory laurel wreath, and the neat folds of the paludamentum or imperial cloak gathered over the shoulder. The laurel wreath terminates at the nape of the neck with two distinct trailing ribbons. This portraiture was carefully calculated by imperial mint masters to evoke the youthful appearance of Caracalla at the time of his own accession, reinforcing the political claim that the young Syrian high priest was in truth the biological son of Caracalla. The dignified rendering of the bust combined civic and triumphal elements, avoiding any explicit iconographic reference to the unusual religious practices or exotic dress associated with the cult of Elagabal, which would later cause significant friction among the senatorial elite in Rome.

Reverse Iconography: Fides and the Legionary Standards

The reverse design of RIC IV Elagabalus 68b is dedicated to the personification of Fides, representing the vital bond of mutual fidelity between the princeps and the Roman armed forces. Fides is depicted draped in long classical garments, seated upon a backless seat or throne facing toward the left. In her right hand she holds an aquila, the sacred legionary eagle that served as the primary palladium of each Roman legion. In her left hand she supports an upright military signum or unit standard. Planted firmly in the ground directly in front of her is a second signum, creating a balanced compositional triad of military insignias. The seated posture of Fides conveys enduring stability, constancy, and established order, while the standards emphasize that the security of the throne depended on the unwavering devotion of both the frontier legions and the Praetorian cohorts stationed in Rome. In the wake of the brief usurpation of Macrinus, who had alienated large segments of the army through fiscal retrenchment and battlefield compromises, this visual program served as an explicit public assurance of the reciprocal allegiance uniting the soldiers and the new Antonine ruler.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 68b convey the ideological pillars of the young emperor's regime through traditional Latin epigraphic formulas. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviated formulation of Imperator Caesar Antoninus Augustus. By employing the praenomen Imperator and the cognomen Antoninus without mentioning the ruler's birth name of Varius Avitus Bassianus, the legend asserted undisputed supreme military command and embedded the ruler within the celebrated Antonine lineage. The absence of specific consular or tribunician numbers in this early legend variant was typical of introductory imperial issues designed to present the fundamental titles of imperial authority. The reverse inscription reads FIDES EXERCITVS, which translates as the loyalty or fidelity of the army. Expressed in the nominative case accompanied by a genitive singular or plural, the phrase identifies the seated figure as the divine personification of military steadfastness. The lettering on both faces exhibits the refined, seriffed epigraphic style characteristic of the Rome mint during the Severan period, with balanced letter spacing conforming to the circular curve of the outer beaded border.

Typology, Chronological Placement, and Variants

RIC IV Elagabalus 68b belongs to the extensive undated series struck early in the reign of Elagabalus, generally placed by numismatists between AD 218 and 220, though catalogue typologies broadly encompass the full AD 218 to 222 span. Following his proclamation in Syria in May AD 218, preliminary coinage was produced in eastern facilities such as Antioch before the main administrative machinery in Rome prepared comprehensive regular issues. The reverse type featuring Fides seated with two standards and an eagle was also struck alongside related issues showing Fides standing holding two standards, as well as variants displaying Fides Militum. Within the specific classification of RIC 68, variant 68a is distinguished by a draped and cuirassed bust, whereas 68b is restricted to specimens showing drapery without visible armor on the shoulder. Because the obverse legend lacks renewable tribunician numbers (tribunicia potestas), precise absolute dating relies on portrait development, hoard associations, and stylistic parallels with datable bronze medallions and dated imperial denarii bearing the titles P M TR P or P M TR P II.

Circulation History, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Impact

Upon leaving the Rome mint, denarii of type RIC IV Elagabalus 68b entered widespread circulation across the empire, moving rapidly along military pay networks to legionary bases on the Rhine, Danube, and eastern frontiers. Hoard data from Roman Britain, Gaul, and the Danubian provinces indicate that Severan denarii circulated alongside earlier issues of Septimius Severus and Caracalla for several decades. Because Severan denarii possessed a relatively low silver content compared to pre-Neronian or early Antonine issues, they were less prone to being selectively withdrawn and melted under Gresham's Law, allowing them to remain in the active currency pool well into the reign of Severus Alexander and the subsequent military crisis of the third century. Specimens of RIC 68b frequently exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear consistent with sustained commercial transactions. Significant hoards deposited in the mid-third century, such as those buried during the Germanic invasions and the monetary collapses of the AD 250s, still contained substantial percentages of Elagabalus's Rome-mint denarii, demonstrating the long-term monetary integration of this type before the denarius was completely displaced by the debased radiate coinages of Decius, Valerian, and Gallienus.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Elagabalus, Rome Mint
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 675-685
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 31, no. 68b
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 68b. RIC IV Elagabalus 68b