Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 111

Monetary Context and Economic Background

The monetary system of the early third century AD operated under escalating financial pressures generated by military expenditure, inflationary trends, and structural budget deficits. Upon his accession in AD 218, Elagabalus inherited an imperial economy strained by the fiscal adjustments of Septimius Severus and Caracalla, as well as the short-lived monetary experiments of Macrinus. Caracalla had introduced the double denarius or antoninianus in AD 215 to alleviate liquidity shortages, but under Elagabalus the traditional denarius remained the primary silver denomination issued in tremendous volume by the imperial treasury. The denarius of Elagabalus was struck at a reduced silver purity relative to early second-century benchmarks, typically testing in modern metallurgical analyses between approximately 40 and 46 percent fine silver, with the remainder composed of copper alloys. The nominal mass of the denomination centered near 3.0 to 3.2 grams, continuing the standard established late in Caracalla's reign. Massive disbursements of silver were required immediately upon accession to fulfill the massive cash gifts promised to the legions in Syria and along the Danube who had facilitated the overthrow of Macrinus. Consequently, high-volume production of silver denarii such as RIC IV Elagabalus 111 formed the practical backbone of state payments, civil administration salaries, and regular legionary stipends during this turbulent four-year reign.

Mint Production and Workshop Operations

The production of RIC IV Elagabalus 111 was centered exclusively at the imperial mint in the capital city of Rome. Although eastern mint facilities, primarily operating at Antioch and possibly Emesa, struck substantial initial issues of silver for Elagabalus during his journey westward between AD 218 and 219, the specific stylistic, epigraphic, and hoard profiles of RIC 111 place its manufacture securely within the metropolitan mint. The Rome mint operated through distinct officinae or workshops, each responsible for producing designated obverse portrait styles paired with particular reverse allegorical types. Blanks for the silver denarii were cast in open ceramic or clay moulds to achieve roughly uniform disk dimensions before being heated and struck between hand-cut iron dies. Die alignment on these metropolitan issues frequently clusters around a six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation, although manual handling allowed for routine axis variations. Mint engravers in Rome maintained a standardized metropolitan style characterized by fine facial modeling, delicate rendering of drapery folds, and balanced letterforms that distinguish these pieces from the coarser, provincial executions found on contemporary eastern denarii. The heavy output of the Libertas reverse type indicates sustained, coordinated workshop activity across several die pairs over a prolonged production cycle.

Obverse Portraiture and Royal Presentation

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 111 presents a right-facing bust of the emperor wearing the triumphal laurel wreath. The bust is depicted with drapery arranged over the shoulder, often showing slight traces of a cuirass beneath the folds, though primarily catalogued under the standard draped convention. The portraiture on this type illustrates the developmental trajectory of Elagabalus's metropolitan representations. While early issues struck upon his arrival in Rome reflected the boyish, smooth-featured appearance of an adolescent claiming Caracallan parentage, later issues within the type depict slight facial hair or light sideburns, reflecting the progression toward adulthood. In the standard classification for this entry, the catalogue records a laureate, bearded, and draped bust, reflecting the mature portrait phase adopted toward the middle and latter portions of the reign. The laurel wreath rests securely on the head, bound with ties trailing down the nape of the neck. The treatment of the hair features short, neatly curled locks characteristic of the metropolitan die-cutters, avoiding the eccentric Syrian sacerdotal accoutrements, such as the priestly horn, that appeared on certain specialized issues struck after AD 220.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC IV Elagabalus 111 centers upon the standing female personification of Libertas, representing constitutional liberty and civic freedom. Clothed in a long stola and flowing mantle, Libertas stands facing toward the left, her weight balanced gracefully on one leg. In her outstretched right hand, she holds forth the pileus, the conical felt cap traditionally presented to freed slaves upon manumission in Roman civil ceremonies, which had served since the late Republic as an explicit visual metaphor for freedom from tyranny. Cradled in her left arm is an upright cornucopiae, overflowing with fruits, agricultural produce, and leaves to signify prosperity, abundance, and the bountiful gifts enjoyed under a benevolent ruler. Unlike neighboring issues in the imperial series, such as RIC IV 107 or RIC IV 112, this baseline type lacks adjunct symbols such as a star in the field, which was often introduced on later Antonine coinage to evoke solar patronage or eastern religious connections. The pairing of the pileus and the horn of plenty presented an unblemished message of constitutional normalcy and economic flourishing, reassuring the Roman senate and populace of the princeps's commitment to traditional civic virtues.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 111 adhere strictly to the established conventions of the imperial court while projecting dynastic legitimacy. The obverse legend reads IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, fully expanded as Imperator Antoninus Pius Augustus. The initial title Imperator functions as a praenomen affirming supreme military command. The core name Antoninus links the teenage ruler directly to Antoninus Pius and Caracalla (officially Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus), completely obscuring his birth name of Varius Avitus Bassianus. The epithet Pius emphasizes familial and religious devotion, specifically piety toward his purported father Caracalla, while Augustus confirms supreme civil authority. The reverse carries the concise legend LIBERTAS AVG, standing for Libertas Augusti, translating as the 'Liberty of the Emperor' or the 'Imperial Liberty'. This phrase framed liberty not as an abstract republican state of governance, but rather as an imperial beneficence granted directly to the citizenry through the personal virtue of the reigning Augustus. The lettering is composed of clean, seriffed Roman capitals arranged along the outer beaded border, executed with clear spacing and consistent letter heights typical of the urban mint at Rome.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, volume IV, part II, the denarii of Elagabalus are classified into chronological and thematic groups comprising dated issues with tribunician and consular titles, undated issues celebrating imperial virtues, and religious issues commemorating the god Elagabal. RIC IV Elagabalus 111 belongs to the extensive undated series struck at Rome across his reign from AD 218 to 222. Because the reverse inscription omits explicit iteration of the emperor's tribunician power (Tribunicia Potestas) or consulships, precise annual dating relies on stylistic portrait analysis and hoard associations. The specific variant recorded under type 111, featuring a bearded bust, places its principal striking period between approximately AD 220 and 222, when portraiture across the Roman mint shifted to depict the emperor with signs of maturity. Numismatists distinguish RIC 111 from related issues that feature an unbearded boyish bust (such as RIC 107 varieties without the star) or those incorporating a celestial star in the obverse or reverse fields (such as RIC 112). It also stands distinct from the consecration and family issues dedicated to Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias, or Elagabalus's successive wives.

Circulation Patterns and Hoard Context

Denarii of the RIC IV Elagabalus 111 type circulated extensively throughout the territories of the Roman Empire during the third century AD. As standard imperial legal tender, these silver issues moved fluidly through commercial networks from Britain and the Rhine-Danube limes to the eastern provinces. Due to their reduced silver fineness, which matched the debased standard set under Caracalla, denarii of Elagabalus were readily accepted alongside older Severan denarii but were frequently hoarded during the monetary crises of the mid-third century. Modern archaeological excavations and numismatic surveys record the presence of this Libertas type in numerous military and civilian coin hoards, including the Falkirk Hoard in Scotland, the Shapwick Hoard in Britain, and major continental deposits across Gaul, Germania, and Pannonia. In circulation, these coins were subjected to gradual wear and clipping, remaining in active daily use well into the reign of Severus Alexander and even into the period of Gordian III, before being largely displaced by the massive reintroduction and final dominance of the radiate antoninianus under Decius and Valerian.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 556-558
2. The Chronology of the Coinage of Elagabalus. Numismatic Chronicle, Ser. 7, Vol. 12, pp. 125-148
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 111. ric.4.el.111
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 34-36, no. 111
5. The Metrology of the Roman Silver Coinage, Part III: From Pertinax to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 57-64