Elagabalus Silver Denarius, RIC IV Elagabalus 16

Monetary and Historical Context

When Elagabalus seized power in the East following the overthrow of Macrinus in AD 218, the Roman monetary system was characterized by long-term structural inflation and silver debasement. The Severan dynasty had progressively reduced the silver content of the standard denarius. Under Septimius Severus and Caracalla, the fineness of the denarius had dropped to approximately fifty percent, and Caracalla had introduced the double denarius (antoninianus) around AD 215 to generate seigniorage profits. Under Macrinus and early in the reign of Elagabalus, the denarius temporarily resumed primacy as the principal silver coin struck in high volume by the principal mint at Rome, whereas antoniniani production was scaled back before being halted later in Elagabalus's reign. Struck in AD 219, RIC IV Elagabalus 16 was issued in the young emperor's second year of tribunician power (TR P II) and second consulship (COS II). In this opening phase of his administration, the imperial court sought to project an image of orthodox Roman governance. Despite the youth's controversial religious devotions to the Syrian sun god Elagabal of Emesa, the official currency produced at Rome adhered firmly to traditional Roman imperial themes. Invoking Roma on the reverse was a deliberate ideological statement to reassure the Senate, the army, and the civilian populace of the regime's adherence to traditional values and institutional stability.

Production and Mint Attribution

The issue RIC IV Elagabalus 16 is securely assigned to the imperial mint at Rome, which operated multiple administrative divisions or officinae responsible for regular precious-metal coin production. Although the emperor did not make his formal imperial entry into the city of Rome until the late summer or autumn of AD 219, having wintered in Nicomedia, the Rome mint was already striking extensive series of denarii bearing his name and updated annual titles. Technologically, the coin was struck using hot-struck round blanks hammered between hand-engraved iron or bronze dies. The Severan denarius standard during this phase maintained an average target weight of approximately 3.0 to 3.2 grams, though individual surviving specimens vary from below 2.7 grams to over 3.4 grams due to loose tolerances in blank manufacturing at the al marco standard. Metallurgical investigations of Severan silver demonstrate that denarii struck at Rome in AD 219 maintained an intrinsic silver purity hovering around 40% to 46%, alloyed with copper and trace impurities of lead, tin, and bismuth. Die alignment across this series is commonly irregular, clustering around 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock orientations characteristic of imperial hammer-die operation.

Obverse Iconography and Attributes

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 16 presents a right-facing bust of Elagabalus as a youthful ruler. The portrait depicts the teenage emperor wearing the laurel wreath (corona triumphalis), with drapery gathered around his shoulders and neck (laureate, draped right). The die engraving follows the established Severan portrait traditions developed at Rome, rendering soft facial features, a slightly curved nose, and short, curly hair reminiscent of his purported father, Caracalla. While certain parallel issues of this year exhibit cuirassed busts or combinations of drapery and cuirass, the standard canonical description for RIC 16 specifically designates the laureate and draped bust. The imperial portraiture at this stage avoided any overt representation of Syrian sacerdotal dress or the horn attribute that would emerge on later issues of his reign, remaining entirely within classical Roman conventions for an adolescent emperor.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the type features the personification of Roma, the divine protectress of the Roman state, seated facing left. She is depicted wearing a helmet and classical drapery (stola or chiton with mantle). In her extended right hand, she supports a small statuette of Victory holding a wreath and palm, while her left hand balances a grounded vertical spear. At her side, resting against or beside her seat, is an oval or round shield, completing the martial and protective apparatus. Roma seated with Victory (Roma Victrix) was an enduring type across Roman coinage, symbolizing the triumph, enduring strength, and perpetual supremacy of the capital city. On RIC 16, this iconography served to connect the regime of the newly installed Syrian prince to the venerable military legacy of Rome. The presence of Victory explicitly recalled the defeat of Macrinus and the re-establishment of the Antonine dynasty, framed not as an Eastern usurpation but as a legitimate victory preserving the empire.

Epigraphy and Legends

The legends on both faces of the coin are composed in regular imperial Latin capitals, executed by experienced celators at the Rome mint. The obverse legend reads: IMP ANTONINVS AVG. This inscription is an abbreviation for 'Imperator Antoninus Augustus'. By adopting the name Antoninus without the patronymic or cognomen Elagabalus (which was never used on official Roman coinage), the imperial administration asserted that the boy ruler was the son of Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus), trading on the army's enduring devotion to the Antonine line. The reverse legend reads: P M TR P II COS II P P. This continuous legend renders the emperor's constitutional and religious offices: 'Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate II, Consul II, Pater Patriae' (Chief Priest, endowed with Tribunician Power for the second time, Consul for the second time, Father of the Fatherland). These titles provide exact epigraphic confirmation of the coin's date to AD 219.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the fundamental catalogue of Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham (Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II), this issue is catalogued under number 16 in the coinage of Elagabalus. The sequence of dated denarii from Rome in AD 219 comprises several reverse types recording 'P M TR P II COS II P P', depicting figures such as Pax advancing, Providentia standing, Sol radiating and marching, and Roma seated. RIC IV Elagabalus 16 is differentiated from related variants primarily by the bust drape and reverse seated posture. Closely related types in the Severan corpus include RIC 15, which features Roma seated without the same arrangement of drapery or shield placement, and later issues of AD 220 (TR P III) where Roma appears with modified seat and shield details. Chronologically, this emission falls strictly within the calendar year AD 219, prior to the renewal of the tribunician power (TR P III) on 10 December AD 219 or 1 January AD 220 according to the prevailing computational system in use by the mint.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Evidence

Denarii of Elagabalus struck in AD 219 circulated throughout the entirety of the Roman Empire, as evidenced by extensive find-spots across Britain, Gaul, the Rhine-Danube frontier, and the Mediterranean provinces. Because the coin possessed a standard Severan debasement profile, it mixed freely in circulation with denarii of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Julia Domna. In major hoard deposits buried during the mid-third-century crisis, such as the Shapwick Villa hoard or the Gibraltar hoard, denarii of Elagabalus are regularly present alongside those of his immediate successors Severus Alexander and Gordian III. Many specimens show moderate to heavy surface wear, indicating that they remained active currency for several decades until the denarius was fully replaced as a circulating medium by the radiate antoninianus during the reigns of Decius, Trebonianus Gallus, and Valerian in the AD 250s.

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. 642-651
3. Description historique des monnaies frappees sous l'Empire romain, Tome IV. p. 336, no. 142
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 16. ric.4.el.16
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 29-30, no. 16