Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 167

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

Under the Severan dynasty, the silver denarius remained the cornerstone of everyday fiscal transactions and military payroll, despite progressive debasement that accelerated under Septimius Severus and Caracalla. Following the brief reign and military defeat of Macrinus in AD 218, Elagabalus was elevated by eastern legions stationed near Emesa and Antioch. The young emperor required an immediate volume of high-prestige imperial coinage to satisfy substantial donatives promised to the Syrian garrisons and to pay municipal obligations before relocating his imperial court westward. Although the antoninianus or double denarius had been introduced by Caracalla, the Severan authorities primarily relied on the traditional denarius for eastern strike mandates during AD 218 and 219. RIC IV Elagabalus 167 represents this early phase of consolidation, maintaining an average theoretical weight of approximately 3.0 to 3.2 grams and a silver fineness of about 40 to 45 percent, matching contemporary metropolitan standards while utilizing the established facilities of Antioch. The choice of Aequitas as an early reverse design affirmed an imperial guarantee of honest measure, monetary stability, and fairness, addressing legionary anxieties over coinage debasement and irregular payments during a period of dynastic realignment.

Mint Organization and Eastern Production

The production of RIC IV Elagabalus 167 is historically and stylistically assigned to the major mint at Antioch on the Orontes in Syria. Antioch had long functioned as a primary regional hub for both civic bronze currency and imperial-style silver coinage, particularly during campaigns by Roman emperors in the East. Die engravers at Antioch operated under distinct artistic and physical conventions compared to their counterparts in Rome. Eastern portrait dies from this period exhibit higher relief, slightly sharper and narrower facial modeling, and a characteristic rendering of military dress, which prominently features both drapery and cuirass. The flans prepared for this issue typically display slightly irregular circumferences, reflecting manual casting and cold-planchet trimming methods common to Syrian workshops. Die axes fluctuate within normal Roman expectations, frequently adhering to near-upright or inverse orientations, though with local variance. The metallurgical signature of Antioch denarii under Elagabalus mirrors the alloy compositions found across the Levant, blending recycled silver and base copper. Output from this mint operated heavily during AD 218 and 219 to finance regional infrastructure and troop movements, after which production of imperial denarii shifted almost exclusively back to the central mint at Rome once Elagabalus arrived in the capital.

Obverse Portraiture and Dynastic Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 167 presents a young, right-facing bust of Elagabalus wearing a laurel wreath, with visible drapery gathered over a cuirass. This combination of the laurel wreath, drapery, and armor visually balanced civil majesty with military command. Given that Elagabalus was only about fourteen years old upon his accession, the Antioch engravers rendered his features with youthful fullness in the cheeks and chin, while maintaining the standardized, formal lines required of an Augustus. The laurel wreath terminates behind the head with delicate ribbons falling along the nape of the neck, and the cuirass plate is visible beneath folds of military cloak pinned at the shoulder. By portraying the prince in cuirassed attire, the mint stressed his role as commander-in-chief to the Syrian legions responsible for his elevation. The portrait intentionally evokes the physiognomy of Caracalla, whom Elagabalus was officially claimed to father, thereby creating an immediate visual link to the popular Severan militaristic image in the eastern provinces.

Reverse Iconography: The Figure of Aequitas

The reverse design of RIC IV Elagabalus 167 depicts Aequitas, the Roman personification of distributive justice, fairness, and official rectitude, standing draped and facing toward the left. In her lowered right hand, Aequitas holds a pair of balance scales, symbolizing the honest assessment of metal, taxes, and grain distribution. Resting against her left arm is a brimming cornucopiae, the traditional horn of plenty that denotes the material abundance and prosperity flowing from upright governance. Her drapery falls in classical folds down to her feet, rendered with the linear stylistic qualities characteristic of Syrian die cutters. The personification of Aequitas appeared regularly across Roman imperial issues, especially during accessions and consular entries, to signal to the senate, army, and populace that state disbursements, commodity distributions, and currency fineness would be managed scrupulously. In the context of an Eastern provincial mint striking imperial coin, Aequitas reassured soldiers that their pay in denarii held full institutional value despite distance from Rome.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The legends on RIC IV Elagabalus 167 are engraved in clear Roman capital lettering, functioning together as a legalistic declaration of the emperor's identity and constitutional standing. The obverse reads ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG, an abbreviation for Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus. The name Antoninus was adopted by Elagabalus to cement his proclaimed status as the legitimate son of Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus), while Pius and Felix conveyed his filial piety toward the dynastic house and divine favor. The reverse carries the concise legend CONSVL II P P, standing for Consul Secundum, Pater Patriae. This epigraphic pairing records two milestone honors: his assumption of a second ordinary consulship in AD 219 and his formal acceptance of the title Father of the Fatherland. Epigraphic execution at Antioch displays minor stylistic nuances, such as slightly broader letter spacings and triangular cross-bars, distinguishing it from contemporaneous Rome mint letterforms. The inscription provides the chronological anchor for the issue, verifying that the dies were prepared around the onset of his second consular term.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Catalogued definitively as RIC IV Elagabalus 167 in The Roman Imperial Coinage, this denarius belongs to the distinct early series struck at Antioch prior to Elagabalus entering Rome during the summer of AD 219. The chronological bracket for the issue spans from late AD 218, when preparations for the second consulship were arranged following the demise of Macrinus, into the early months of AD 219 when the consulship commenced. The reverse type belongs to an integrated suite of eastern denarii celebrating the initial administrative acts of the new reign, running parallel to types featuring Sol, Fortuna, and Victoria. In RIC IV, the Antioch series is classified apart from Rome mint issues due to both stylistic markers and consular formulas. While some Antioch issues carry unnumbered consular or tribunician formulas, the specific presence of CONSVL II securely places RIC IV 167 within AD 219. Variations within the type are restricted to subtle differences in die engraving, such as the exact hang of the obverse drapery folds or minor shifts in the alignment of the scales held by Aequitas, while the core typology remains strictly uniform.

Circulation and Archaeological Distribution

Denarii of RIC IV Elagabalus 167 saw their initial and most concentrated circulation within the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, including Syria, Phoenicia, Mesopotamia, and Roman Arabia. As primary payment units for legionary contingents stationed along the Euphrates frontier, these coins entered regional markets and mingled with both older Antonine silver and contemporary civic billon tetradrachms. Because imperial denarii carried universal legal tender status across the empire, specimens eventually dispersed westward through trade networks, military reassignments, and administrative remittances. Hoard evidence from the eastern Mediterranean and the Danubian limes demonstrates that eastern denarii of Elagabalus remained in active circulation for several decades, circulating alongside subsequent Severan issues through the reigns of Severus Alexander and Gordian III. Many surviving examples exhibit moderate to heavy wear consistent with long-term commercial exchange, and a notable portion display surface deposits or gentle edge attrition characteristic of Syrian soil conditions. Ultimately, the progressive debasement of third-century coinage led to the melting or hoarding of Severan denarii during the mid-third century crisis.

References

1. Coinage in Roman Syria: Northern Syria, 64 BC - AD 253. pp. 95-108
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 167. ric.4.el.167
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 44-45, no. 167