Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 141

Monetary Context and Severan Fiscal Policy

The monetary system inherited by Elagabalus in AD 218 was shaped by decades of fiscal adjustments initiated under the Severan dynasty. Septimius Severus had fundamentally altered the Roman silver currency in the late second century by lowering the fineness of the denarius to roughly 50 percent silver, accompanied by a modest reduction in weight. Caracalla accelerated monetary shifts in AD 215 with the introduction of the antoninianus, or double denarius, an radiate denomination that traded at a tariff higher than its intrinsic bullion content warranted. Although the antoninianus appeared intermittently under Macrinus and during the early reign of Elagabalus, the traditional denarius remained the primary coin for civilian commerce, state accounting, and military stipends. Under Elagabalus, the mint at Rome continued striking denarii in immense quantities. The silver fineness of these pieces typically fluctuated between 40 and 46 percent, though individual hoards reveal variations in alloy consistency. By striking types such as RIC IV Elagabalus 141, the imperial administration sustained the day-to-day liquidity of the Roman state while attempting to project an image of traditional religious stability. The persistent debasement of the silver currency during this period generated long-term monetary strain, yet the denarius retained its broad acceptance and purchasing power across the Mediterranean basin, backed by imperial authority and the state fiscal apparatus.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

RIC IV Elagabalus 141 was minted exclusively in Rome, which operated as the central hub of imperial coin manufacturing. While provincial mints such as Antioch also struck coinage for Elagabalus during his journey from Syria to the capital, the refined engraving style and specific epigraphic layout of this issue firmly anchor its production to the principal workshops of Rome. Mint operations in Rome were organized into separate officinae, or workshops, each tasked with preparing flans, engraving dies, and striking designated reverse types. The physical execution of RIC IV Elagabalus 141 reflects standard Roman minting methodology of the third century AD. Silver blanks were cast in molds, heated, and struck between hand-cut bronze or iron dies. Die axes on these issues were predominantly adjusted to twelve o'clock or six o'clock positions, although slight shifts are common due to manual manipulation during striking. The theoretical weight standard for the denarius under Elagabalus hovered near 3.1 to 3.2 grams, corresponding to roughly 100 to 104 coins per Roman pound (libra). Surviving specimens across museum and hoard assemblages typically range between 2.6 and 3.5 grams, with diameters averaging approximately 18 to 20 millimeters. The observed variability in weight and flan size stems from batch-casting tolerances rather than strict individual coin weighing at the mint.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 141 features a right-facing bust of the emperor, laureate and draped. This portraiture represents a careful iconographic strategy developed to legitimize Elagabalus upon his accession. Presented as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the purported son of Caracalla, the emperor is depicted with youthful yet idealized facial features. The laurel wreath symbolizes victorious authority and imperium, bound at the rear with two flowing ties that fall gracefully across the neck or shoulders. The drapery wraps around the base of the neck and chest, often showing delicate folds of a paludamentum or tunic over the left shoulder. Engravers at the Rome mint captured the adolescent features of the young emperor through a rounded jawline, smooth cheeks, and closely cropped curly hair characteristic of the Antonine and Severan lineage. Unlike the later issues of the reign, which occasionally feature the controversial horn or ritual accoutrements associated with the Syrian cult of Elagabal, this type adheres strictly to traditional Roman imperial conventions. The artistic execution displays high technical proficiency, with deeply incised facial contours and finely detailed drapery folds executed by master celators within the urban mint.

Reverse Iconography and Religious Symbolism

The reverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 141 portrays the goddess Salus standing facing left, dressed in flowing drapery. In her extended right hand, she holds a patera, a shallow sacrificial libation bowl, from which she offers nourishment to a serpent that coils upward around a small altar positioned to her left. In her left hand, Salus holds an upright ship rudder, the base of which rests firmly on a globe. This intricate allegorical composition blends several distinct theological concepts. Salus had long been venerated in Roman religion as the divine personification of health, safety, and general well-being. The act of feeding the sacred serpent, closely tied to the healing traditions of Asclepius and Apollo Medicus, emphasizes ritual piety, medicinal preservation, and religious renewal. Simultaneously, the inclusion of the rudder and the globe introduces a civic and cosmological dimension. The rudder was the classic attribute of Fortuna and Providentia, representing divine governance and the steady steering of the ship of state. The globe beneath the rudder underscores Roman world dominion (orbis terrarum). Thus, the imagery of Salus on RIC IV Elagabalus 141 transcends individual physical health, projecting a message that the divine preservation of the emperor directly ensures the safe guidance, prosperity, and territorial integrity of the entire Roman world.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 141 are rendered in neat Latin capital letters typical of early third-century Roman imperial typography. The obverse legend reads IMP ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviated formulation that stands for Imperator Antoninus Augustus. By omitting explicit consulship iterations or tribunician numbers on this issue, the mint presented a timeless, continuous statement of imperial rank. The choice of the name Antoninus was central to Severan dynastic claims, asserting the ruler's declared descent from Caracalla and his place within the revered Antonine succession. The reverse legend reads SALVS AVGVSTI, translating as 'The Health (or Safety) of the Augustus.' This formula had an extensive pedigree in imperial coinage, dating back to the Julio-Claudian era. Unlike the generic Salus Publica, which invoked the general safety of the Roman populace, Salus Augusti specifically dedicated the protection of the deity to the reigning princeps. In imperial ideology, however, the survival and well-being of the emperor were intimately bound to the stability of the empire. The text wraps smoothly around the upper perimeter of the coin, beginning at the lower left and terminating at the lower right, neatly framing the personification of the goddess.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference work Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham classified this denarius as number 141 within the reign of Elagabalus in Volume IV, Part II. The type is assigned to the mint of Rome and dated broadly between AD 218 and 222, covering the entirety of the reign. Because the obverse legend IMP ANTONINVS AVG lacks specific tribunician dates (tribunicia potestas), pinpointing the exact emission year relies primarily on stylistic and hoard evidence. Numismatic studies, including those by Curtis Clay and the British Museum cataloguers, suggest that issues bearing the shorter obverse title IMP ANTONINVS AVG accompanied by standard imperial allegories appeared predominantly from late AD 219 onward, following the emperor's arrival in Rome, and continued through AD 221. RIC IV Elagabalus 141 is closely related to adjacent issues featuring Salus, notably RIC 138 through 140, which show variations such as Salus seated feeding a serpent from her lap, or Salus holding a sceptre instead of a rudder. The specific combination of the standing goddess holding both a patera feeding a serpent and a rudder resting on a globe distinguishes type 141 as a unique iconographic entry within the Severan corpus.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Evidence

Denarii of Elagabalus, including RIC IV Elagabalus 141, circulated extensively across both western and eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Archaeological evidence from major hoard discoveries, such as the Shapwick Villa hoard in Britain and various third-century hoards across the Rhine and Danube frontiers, confirms that these denarii formed an active component of circulating currency alongside earlier Antonine and Severan issues. Despite their reduced silver content relative to second-century denarii, coins of Elagabalus were not aggressively culled or hoarded separately, demonstrating that they circulated at par under state legal tender decrees. The presence of RIC IV Elagabalus 141 in military camp deposits along the Limes Germanicus highlights their role in paying troop salaries, which represented the Roman state's largest fiscal expenditure. By the mid-third century, the progressive debasements under Gordian III, Philip I, and Trajan Decius led to the gradual displacement of the denarius by the double denarius (antoninianus). Many Severan denarii were eventually withdrawn, melted down, or retained in long-term savings deposits, where they remained preserved until modern recovery.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 556-558
2. Description historique des monnaies frappees sous l'Empire Romain, Tome IV. p. 343, no. 261
3. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 141. ric.4.el.141
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 36, no. 141