Elagabalus Silver Denarius, RIC IV Elagabalus 128b

Monetary Context

Under the Severan dynasty, the silver denarius served as the operational core of the imperial monetary economy, acting as the standard unit of account for military stipends, urban administrative payrolls, and imperial tax collections. Following the fiscal strains and initial debasements instituted by Septimius Severus and sustained by Caracalla, the denarius experienced a progressive reduction in intrinsic silver content. By the accession of Elagabalus in AD 218, following the brief interruption of Macrinus, imperial denarii were struck from billon alloy containing approximately 40 to 46 percent silver, with average weights hovering near 3.0 to 3.2 grams. Although Caracalla had introduced the double denarius or antoninianus in AD 215, production of this radiated denomination was suspended during the early reign of Elagabalus, leaving the traditional laureate denarius as the almost exclusive silver denomination struck by the mint of Rome. RIC IV Elagabalus 128b belongs to this renewed concentration on denarius production, exemplifying the regime's reliance on established Severan nominal standards to fund military loyalties and civil administration.

Production and Mints

The issue catalogued as RIC IV Elagabalus 128b was struck exclusively at the central imperial mint of Rome. Operating across several organized workshops or officinae, the Rome mint was tasked with converting silver bullion and recycled older coinage into standardized imperial issues. Die engraving at Rome in this period maintained consistent metropolitan artistic conventions, characterized by fine die sinking, balanced lettering, and proportioned drapery. The metallurgical composition of the planchets relied on an intentional copper-silver alloy prepared in melting crucibles, cast into spherical blanks, and hot-struck between engraved iron or bronze dies. Production was executed at high volume to support immediate imperial expenditure, resulting in occasional minor variations in flan thickness, centering, and die alignment, though an upright or near-upright die axis predominated.

Obverse Design

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 128b features the youthful bust of Elagabalus oriented to the right. The portrait presents the emperor wearing a laurel wreath, tied at the back of the head with ribbons extending down the neck, and draped across the bust. This drapery distinguishes sub-type 128b from RIC IV Elagabalus 128a, which depicts a laureate head with a bare truncation. The portraiture is rendered in the classicizing Severan court style, presenting smooth facial contours, a slightly upturned nose, and short, curly hair, calculated to assimilate the young monarch into the accepted image of his purported father, Caracalla, and the venerable Antonine dynasty.

Reverse Design

The reverse composition depicts Providentia, the Roman personification of divine forethought and imperial anticipation. She stands facing left, clad in a stola and palla that fall in graceful folds around her body. In her extended right hand, Providentia holds a globe, an emblem signifying universal cosmic order and the worldwide extent of Roman sovereignty. In her left arm she cradles a full cornucopiae, the horn of plenty filled with fruits of the earth, symbolizing the material abundance and prosperity guaranteed by careful foresight. The harmonious pairing of the globe and cornucopiae assured the empire that the divine will ensured both stability and economic well-being under the reigning sovereign.

Legends and Epigraphy

The obverse legend reads IMP ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviated formulation of Imperator Antoninus Augustus. By omitting the traditional praenomen and using Antoninus, the inscription overtly asserts the legitimacy of Elagabalus as an imperial successor to the Antonine line. The reverse legend reads PROVID DEORVM, contracting Providentia Deorum, meaning 'the foresight of the gods.' Epigraphically, the inscriptions exhibit the compact, well-proportioned Roman capital lettering typical of the Rome mint during the Severan epoch, with clean letter strokes, unligatured characters, and outward-facing orientation following the circular border of dots.

Typology and Chronology

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV, Part II, type 128 belongs to the undated Rome issues of Elagabalus, generally placed between AD 218 and 222. Because the legends lack explicit tribunician power numbers or iterative consular designations, chronological placement relies on stylistic evolution and portrait progression. The shorter obverse legend IMP ANTONINVS AVG was introduced early in the reign alongside longer forms such as IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, but remained in steady use across several years. RIC 128 is categorized into two formal bust variants: RIC 128a with a laureate head without drapery, and RIC 128b with a laureate and draped bust. Parallel types featuring Providentia holding a wand over a globe or leaning on a column appear across Severan issues, making the specific combination of a free-standing Providentia with globe and cornucopiae distinctive for this catalogued type.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Denarii of RIC IV Elagabalus 128b circulated extensively across the Roman Empire, as evidenced by their presence in third-century coin hoards throughout Britain, Gaul, Germany, and the Danube frontier provinces. In these circulation pools, they coexisted with denarii of the Antonine emperors and earlier Severans, circulating at par value despite measurable variations in alloy purity. Because the denarius was the standard currency for paying legionary units, issues of this type moved swiftly from the capital to frontier military encampments. Wear patterns and hoard compositions indicate that such coins continued to circulate well into the reign of Severus Alexander and the subsequent military crisis, until the massive reintroduction of the radiate double denarius in the late AD 230s and 240s gradually drove older, finer denarii out of regular commercial exchange.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Elagabalus, Rome Mint
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 39, no. 128b
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 128b. ric.4.el.128b