Julia Maesa Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 256

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The accession of Elagabalus in AD 218 marked the re-establishment of the Severan dynasty following the overthrow of Macrinus. Under the Severan administration, the silver denarius remained the primary denomination for routine administrative payments, military stipends, and day-to-day trade, even as its physical and metallurgical standards experienced ongoing shifts. By the reign of Elagabalus, the denarius possessed a theoretical silver fineness hovering between forty and forty-five percent, continuing the debasement initiated under Septimius Severus and Caracalla. Although Caracalla had introduced the double denarius or antoninianus around AD 215, Elagabalus intermittently paused and restarted its production, relying heavily on the conventional denarius for extensive imperial disbursements. Denarii produced for the imperial women held identical legal tender status and circulating value to those bearing the image of the Augustus himself. In this monetary landscape, coins struck in the name of Julia Maesa, such as RIC IV Elagabalus 256, were fully integrated into the empire's fiscal machinery, operating not as commemorative medallions but as standard circulating currency issued in significant quantities.

Production Standards and Mint Assignment

RIC IV Elagabalus 256 was produced by the central imperial mint situated in Rome. The Roman mint operated through multiple organized officinae or workshops, which coordinated die-cutting, flan preparation, striking, and quality control to maintain uniform output across simultaneous dynastic series. While eastern mints such as Antioch or Emesa also struck silver coinage early in the reign of Elagabalus, typological and stylistic consensus assigns this Juno type decisively to the capital. Denarii of this period typically exhibit weights clustering in the range of 2.80 to 3.20 grams, with typical flan diameters measuring approximately 18 to 20 millimeters, although individual specimens exhibit natural variations caused by manual flan casting and striking techniques. Die alignment was predominantly regulated, frequently adhering to an upright or near-vertical axis typical of Severan Rome. The metallurgical composition aligns with contemporary Roman silver alloy standards, combining refined silver with copper and minor trace elements to satisfy imperial bullion requirements.

Obverse Portraiture and Dynastic Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 256 displays a refined right-facing bust of Julia Maesa, draped in a stola and wearing a stephane or diadem. Her hair is rendered in the distinctive Severan court fashion: waved laterally in rigid ridges and gathered low at the nape of the neck before being folded upward against the rear of the head. This elaborate hairstyle reflects continuity with the iconic coiffure popularized by her deceased sister, the Empress Julia Domna, while establishing a mature, dignified visual identity distinct to Maesa. As the grandmother of the teenage emperor, Maesa was depicted with severe, composed facial features that emphasized authority, maturity, and moral rectitude. The portrait is framed by an unbroken circular beaded border, standard for the Rome mint, projecting an image of traditional Roman matronhood directly connected to the seat of imperial power.

Reverse Typology and Religious Attributes

The reverse iconography of RIC IV Elagabalus 256 features the goddess Juno, queen of the gods and special protector of Roman women and the state. Juno is portrayed standing facing left, fully draped in chiton and mantle, with a sacred veil draped over her head, symbolizing traditional modesty and religious piety. In her extended right hand, she holds a patera, a shallow libation dish used in Roman sacrificial rituals, while her left hand supports a long vertical sceptre resting on the groundline, signifying celestial and sovereign power. At her feet to the left stands a peacock, the sacred bird attribute of Juno, depicted in profile facing toward the goddess or looking upward. This complex of attributes invokes Juno Conservatrix and Juno Lucina without explicit epithets, associating the Augusta with maternal oversight, divine guardianship, and the preservation of the imperial lineage.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Elagabalus 256 are concise and straightforward, adhering to established Severan epigraphic formulas. The obverse legend reads IVLIA MAESA AVG, transcribed as Iulia Maesa Augusta. This brief title presents her personal name alongside the supreme honorific Augusta, conferred upon her immediately after Elagabalus attained the purple. The absence of additional titles such as Mater Castrorum on this issue underscores the direct, unadorned recognition of her imperial rank. The reverse inscription consists of the single nominative word IVNO, identifying the depicted deity directly. Lettering is executed in well-proportioned Roman imperial capitals, reading clockwise from the lower left on the obverse and uninterrupted around the upper perimeter on the reverse. The clarity and simplicity of the legends ensured immediate comprehension across diverse, multilingual provinces of the Roman world.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the standard reference catalog The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), this type is cataloged under the reign of Elagabalus as RIC IV Elagabalus 256. It forms part of the substantial emission of silver denarii produced for Julia Maesa throughout Elagabalus's sole rule between AD 218 and 222. Because the inscriptions on this type lack explicit consular or tribunician dating markers, chronological placement relies on stylistic developments, die links, and hoard evidence. Stylistic parallels with the Rome mint issues of Julia Soaemias and the early portraits of Elagabalus indicate sustained striking across multiple years of the reign. The type remains distinct from the concurrent issues featuring Felicitas, Pudicitia, or Pietas, representing an intentional and dedicated typological series focused on Juno as the primary divine patroness of the senior Augusta.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Distribution

RIC IV Elagabalus 256 entered an active imperial monetary system that circulated from the military encampments of Britannia and the Rhine-Danube frontier to the urban centers of Syria and North Africa. Third-century hoards recorded across Roman Europe, including major British and continental deposits, routinely contain examples of Julia Maesa's denarii alongside Severan and Antonine issues. Due to the gradual reduction of silver content during the later third century, coins of this weight and purity remained in heavy circulation until the monetary crises and widespread inflation of the mid-third century AD. Even after the official demonetization or marginalization of earlier silver by subsequent reforms under Decius and Gallienus, surviving hoard specimens show varying degrees of wear, indicating extensive handling over several decades of active economic utility.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 539-541
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-132
3. The Functions and Use of Roman Coinage: An Overview of 21st Century Interpretations. pp. 78-83
4. Coining Images of Power: Representations of the Roman Emperor on Coinage, A.D. 193-284. pp. 147-152
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 256. ric.4.el.256
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 60, no. 256