Elagabalus Silver Denarius, RIC IV Elagabalus 104

Monetary Context

During the Severan dynasty, the silver denarius remained the primary coin of account and daily state expenditure across the Roman Empire, despite substantial alterations to its physical metallurgy. Under Septimius Severus and Caracalla, the fineness of the denarius was reduced to approximately fifty percent, and under Elagabalus the debasement continued, commonly settling between forty and forty-six percent fine silver. Caracalla had introduced the double denarius or antoninianus in AD 215, which Elagabalus initially struck alongside the denarius before production of the double denomination ceased around AD 219. Consequently, denarii such as RIC IV Elagabalus 104 served as the predominant coin distributed during official imperial gifts and soldier payments. Donative distributions, or congiaria, were standard mechanisms for Roman emperors to purchase civic goodwill, pacify the praetorian guard, and commemorate major dynastic accessions or milestones. The fourth liberality of Elagabalus, recorded on RIC IV Elagabalus 104, represented a vital injection of cash into the metropolitan economy during a period of mounting political isolation for the emperor.

Production and Minting

RIC IV Elagabalus 104 was struck exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. By the late Severan era, the mint in the capital operated with a sophisticated division of labor, organized into multiple officinae or workshops responsible for engraving dies, preparing blanks, and striking coins under the supervision of the rationalis. While Elagabalus also utilized an eastern mint (frequently attributed to Antioch or Emesa) early in his reign to supply his journey westward, later commemorative issues such as his fourth liberality were centralized in Rome. Denarius blanks were prepared by casting silver-copper alloy flans, which were then cold or hot struck between hand-carved intaglio bronze or iron dies. The typical weight of denarii produced at Rome during this period clustered between 2.8 and 3.3 grams, with flan diameters averaging between 18 and 20 millimeters. Die alignment varied, though a substantial number of dies were positioned on or near an upright or inverted axis.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 104 depicts a right-facing bust of Elagabalus, laureate and draped. Portraiture on this issue reflects the mature Severan style developed at Rome, presenting the young emperor with smooth facial features, neatly curled hair beneath the laurel wreath, and a youthful, idealized profile characteristic of his final years. The drapery across the shoulders is rendered with standard folds running over the tunic or cuirass. Unlike earlier issues from his accession where the portrait attempted to mimic the fierce martial visage of Caracalla, the portraits of AD 221 and 222 display a standardized, youthful imperial image. The portrait is framed by an uninterrupted circular legend within an outer border of fine dots.

Reverse Iconography and Attributes

The reverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 104 features Liberalitas standing facing left, fully draped in a stola and palla. In her extended right hand, she holds a tessera or abacus, a rectangular counting device with a handle used by distribution officials to tabulate allotments during public hand-outs. In her left arm, she cradles a cornucopiae, the horn of plenty, symbolizing the abundance flowing from the emperor's generosity. In the field, a star is typically depicted, though some cataloguers note occasional variations where the star may be faint or off-flan. In the iconography of Elagabalus's late coinage, the star is widely interpreted as a celestial symbol of El-Gabal, the solar deity of Emesa, or an astral marker connected with the emperor's sacred office as supreme priest of the sun. The combination of the traditional Roman personification of state generosity with the celestial star visually fuses traditional civil beneficence with the regime's theological self-definition.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription reads IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, transcribing as Imperator Antoninus Pius Augustus. This legend reflects Elagabalus's official imperial styling as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the fictitious son of Caracalla, adopted to bolster his dynastic legitimacy among the legions and the Senate. The epithet Pius evokes traditional Antonine virtue and piety. The reverse inscription reads LIBERALITAS AVG IIII, translating to 'The fourth generosity of the Augustus'. The Roman numeral IIII designates the specific donative iteration. Lettering on both faces is rendered in clear, serifed Roman capitals executed according to the high epigraphic standards of the Rome mint, with letters evenly spaced along the inner margins of the coin flan.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham's Roman Imperial Coinage classification, this issue is catalogued as RIC IV Elagabalus 104. In the chronological framework of the reign, Liberalitas I occurred in AD 218 upon the emperor's accession, Liberalitas II occurred in AD 219, and Liberalitas III commemorated his marriage or consulships around AD 220. Liberalitas IIII is assigned to the concluding phase of the reign, specifically between the second half of AD 221 and the early months of AD 222. Scholarly opinion links this fourth cash distribution to one of two major political events: the adoption of Severus Alexander as Caesar in June or July of AD 221, which required substantial cash payments to reconcile the military to the new arrangement, or the entry of Elagabalus into his fourth consulship alongside Alexander on January 1, AD 222. Close variants in the catalogue series differ primarily in bust drapery, cuirassing, or the presence and positioning of the field star.

Circulation and Monetary Life

Following production at Rome, denarii of the type RIC IV Elagabalus 104 entered circulation through formal state payments, particularly imperial distributions within Rome and military payrolls distributed to legionary and auxiliary units throughout the provinces. Because the silver content of denarii from Elagabalus's reign was noticeably lower than that of first- and second-century issues, earlier fine silver coins were frequently hoarded according to Gresham's Law, while Severan denarii circulated vigorously. Hoard evidence from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces regularly records specimens of Elagabalus's later denarii intermixed with coinage of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Severus Alexander. Despite the subsequent damnation of Elagabalus's memory, his silver coins were not systematically recalled or melted down; rather, the state's urgent demand for circulating medium ensured that RIC IV Elagabalus 104 remained in active monetary circulation well into the mid-third century AD, as evidenced by its presence in hoards deposited during the Crisis of the Third Century.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 556-558
2. Ancient History from Coins. pp. 111-124
3. Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Imperial Coinage, A.D. 193-284. pp. 95-104
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 104. ric.4.el.104
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 34, no. 104