Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 139b

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The reign of Varius Avitus Bassianus, who ruled under the dynastic name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and is known to modern history as Elagabalus, occurred during a period of ongoing structural shifts in the Roman monetary economy. Upon seizing power in AD 218 following the overthrow of Macrinus, Elagabalus inherited a fiscal framework established by Septimius Severus and modified by Caracalla. Caracalla had introduced the double denarius or antoninianus in AD 215 to cope with rising military expenditures and state debts. While Macrinus and subsequently Elagabalus continued striking the radiate antoninianus during their initial months, Elagabalus phased out regular production of the radiate denomination at Rome by AD 219, reverting to the traditional denarius as the primary silver denomination issued by the imperial capital. The issue of RIC IV Elagabalus 139b reflects this deliberate return to denarius-dominated minting policy. In terms of metallurgical composition, the Severan denarius had undergone substantial debasement since the 190s AD. Under Elagabalus, the denarius possessed an average silver purity ranging between 40 and 46 percent, struck at a theoretical standard of approximately three grams, though individual weights exhibited wide manufacturing variance. By utilizing debased silver, the imperial administration sustained the heavy expenditure required to secure the loyalty of the praetorian guard, the legionary garrisons, and the civil apparatus without completely abandoning the familiar transactional utility of the traditional imperial silver coin.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

RIC IV Elagabalus 139b was struck exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. During the Severan period, the Rome mint was organized into distinct officinae or working workshops, which operated under the oversight of imperial procurators to produce concurrent denominations and thematic emissions. The physical manufacture of these denarii involved casting spherical or lens-shaped silver-copper alloy flans, heating them to soften the metal, and striking them manually between engraved bronze or iron dies. The flans prepared for this issue typically measure between 18 and 20 millimeters in diameter, with targeted mean weights centered near 3.0 to 3.2 grams, consistent with the Severan norm. Because individual coin blanks were weighed in batches rather than singly, weights of finished coins show considerable scatter, often ranging from under 2.5 grams to over 3.6 grams. Die alignment for the Rome mint in this period generally adhered to a predominantly six o'clock or twelve o'clock axis, though minor off-axis striking occurred regularly. Die engraving at Rome under Elagabalus maintained high technical craftsmanship; portrait dies captured the youthful facial features of the emperor with careful modeling of facial contours, hair curls, and classical drapery folds, while reverse dies balanced the standing figure of Salus against clear, regular lettering.

Obverse Portraiture and Typology

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 139b presents a right-facing portrait bust of the emperor, depicted as laureate and draped. This specific bust type captures Elagabalus in his early youth, characterized by smooth facial planes, a slightly upturned nose, and closely cropped hair surmounted by the laurel wreath of victorious imperial authority. The laurel ties extend down the back of the neck, and the imperial paludamentum or mantle is draped carefully over the shoulders, showing naturalistic folds of cloth pinned at the right shoulder. Unlike later emissions from his fourth and fifth consulships or Antioch-struck issues, portraits on this early Rome issue do not display any trace of sideburns, a light beard, or the distinctive ritual horn associated with the priesthood of Elagabal. The catalogue distinction between sub-varieties of RIC IV 139 hinges primarily on the bust drapery and the obverse legend: whereas RIC IV 139a features a longer titular formula or alternate drapery arrangement, 139b specifically isolates the laureate and draped bust paired with the concise legend formula IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG.

Reverse Iconography of Salus

The reverse design displays Salus, the Roman goddess of health, welfare, safety, and preservation. She stands draped in a long stola that falls to her feet, turned toward the right. In her arms she cradles a sacred serpent, holding its body securely while feeding it from a patera or offering dish held in her extended left hand. The serpent raises its head toward the dish to feed, evoking ancient ritual practices associated with both traditional Roman domestic religion and the Greco-Roman cult of Asclepius. Salus was an established fixture of imperial coin iconography since the Julio-Claudian era, but her presence under the Severans carried renewed political significance. The motif portrayed divine sanction watching over the person of the ruler and, by extension, the security of the state. The act of feeding the serpent symbolized continuous nurture, piety, and the warding off of physical sickness, conspiracy, and civil rupture. On well-preserved specimens, delicate details of the serpent's coiled tail, the folds of Salus's garments, and the profile of her diademed head demonstrate the compositional finesse of the Rome mint's celatores.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription of RIC IV Elagabalus 139b reads continuously around the rim as IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviation of Imperator Caesar Antoninus Augustus. By completely omitting his birth name of Varius Avitus Bassianus and adopting the celebrated name Antoninus, the regime deliberately asserted that the ruler was the legitimate natural son of Caracalla and true heir of Marcus Aurelius. This nomenclature was vital for sustaining the allegiance of the imperial military, which held profound devotion to the Severan-Antonine line. The reverse inscription reads SALVS ANTONINI AVG, which expands epigraphically to Salus Antonini Augusti, translating as 'The Health and Welfare of Antoninus Augustus.' Unlike generic reverse invocations such as SALVS AVGG or SALVS PVBLICA, this possessive formulation explicitly ties the divine protection of Salus directly to the person of the emperor. The epigraphy utilizes neat, classical capital letters typical of Rome mint craftsmanship, with well-formed serifs, stable letter spacing, and standard Severan letterforms.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV, Part II, type 139 occupies an early position among Elagabalus's undated Rome issues. While the broader RIC IV 139 classification includes variations in obverse legends and bust attributes, type 139b is defined specifically by the laureate and draped bust facing right with the obverse text IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG. Scholars assign this series to the period between AD 218 and 220, shortly after Elagabalus gained the throne and established his court at Rome in the summer of AD 219. The lack of consular dates or tribunician numbers places the coin in the general undated emissions of the first half of the reign. It is typologically allied to neighboring reverse types invoking imperial virtues, such as FIDES EXERCITVS, VICTORIA AVG, and PROVIDENTIA DEORVM, which collectively sought to legitimize the accession. By AD 221 and 222, reverse themes at Rome shifted toward his subsequent consulships, the adoption of Severus Alexander, and the religious innovations honoring the sun god of Emesa, which makes RIC IV 139b a clear benchmark of the initial political program.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Denarii of RIC IV Elagabalus 139b entered general circulation throughout the Roman Empire, mixing freely with residual issues from the Antonine and Severan eras. Because Severan denarii maintained comparable fineness from the reign of Septimius Severus through that of Severus Alexander, coins of Elagabalus circulated extensively for decades without facing immediate demonetization or aggressive melting. Significant quantities of such denarii appear in major third-century hoards discovered across Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces. For example, extensive British hoards such as the Falkirk and Shapwick deposits demonstrate that early denarii of Elagabalus remained in active circulation alongside later issues of Severus Alexander and Gordian III, circulating well into the mid-third century until the hyperinflationary collapses and antoninianus surges of the AD 250s and 260s rendered older denarii obsolete. Surviving specimens of RIC IV Elagabalus 139b range from heavily worn coins that endured decades of commerce to well-preserved examples hoarded shortly after striking.

References

1. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 145-152
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 139b. ric.4.el.139b
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 38-39, no. 139b
5. Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume II: The Accession of Nerva to the Death of Caracalla / The Severan Dynasty and the Third Century. pp. 580-588