Elagabalus Silver Denarius RIC IV Elagabalus 121b

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The emission of RIC IV Elagabalus 121b occurred against a backdrop of dynastic recovery and escalating fiscal strain within the Roman monetary system. Following the assassination of Caracalla in AD 217 and the ephemeral reign of Macrinus, loyalist Severan forces orchestrated the elevation of the young priest of Emesa under the legitimate imperial moniker Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. To secure the loyalty of the legions and consolidate public acceptance in Rome, the newly established regime initiated substantial emissions of traditional silver denominations. By the beginning of the third century AD, the denarius remained the administrative benchmark of Roman coinage, although its silver fineness had declined noticeably since the Julio-Claudian era. Under Septimius Severus and Caracalla, the silver content of the denarius hovered around fifty percent or slightly below, a debasement trajectory that persisted throughout the reign of Elagabalus. Production of the double denarius, or antoninianus, had been introduced under Caracalla in AD 215, but Elagabalus temporarily suspended or curtailed the newly created double denomination during parts of his rule, returning administrative emphasis to standard denarii such as RIC IV 121b. These coins were produced in massive quantities to finance the imperial bureaucracy, satisfy military donatives, and service the vast logistical apparatus of the Roman state. Consequently, the monetary environment in which type 121b appeared was marked by high transactional velocity and an acute reliance on silver issues whose intrinsic worth was increasingly decoupled from their official face value.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

RIC IV Elagabalus 121b was struck at the principal imperial mint situated at Rome. Although eastern mints such as Antioch also struck coinage during Elagabalus's march toward the capital and the early phase of his reign, the stylistic execution and fabric of type 121b align definitively with the established officinae of the urban mint. The physical manufacture of these silver denarii followed the traditional Roman process of hot-striking prepared flans between engraved bronze or iron dies. The average target weight for denarii of this period centered around 3.0 to 3.2 grams, with individual specimens fluctuating between roughly 2.6 and 3.5 grams due to imprecise blank-preparation techniques common in third-century mass production. Flans were cast in individual moulds or cut from cast strips, frequently yielding irregular round shapes, slight flan cracks, and variable thicknesses. Die alignment tended toward an approximate six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation, although minor deviations were common across different production runs. The metallurgic composition consisted of an argentiferous alloy containing roughly forty to forty-five percent silver, with the remainder predominantly consisting of copper and trace elements like lead and tin. To enhance the surface appearance of the coins and mask internal baseness, blanks were subjected to chemical pickling or surface blanching prior to striking, which selectively dissolved copper from the exterior layer and created a thin shell of enriched silver.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Representation

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 121b displays a right-facing portrait bust of the juvenile emperor, crowned with a laurel wreath and dressed in classical drapery. The laurel wreath symbolizes imperial triumph, authority, and divine protection, serving as the standard visual insignia of the reigning Augustus. In type 121b, the drapery covers the shoulders and chest, softening the visual transition from neck to torso and presenting a civil, dignified representation of the sovereign. This drapery arrangement is a crucial typological diagnostic that differentiates 121b from parallel issues catalogued under number 121a, which feature a bust that is both draped and cuirassed. Mint engravers in Rome rendered the features of Elagabalus with youthful softness, capturing his adolescent visage through smooth facial contours, a slightly rounded jawline, and short-cropped Severan curls beneath the wreath ties. Over the course of the reign, the imperial portrait transitioned from idealized youthfulness to slightly more mature, elongated profiles, though die carvers consistently maintained a familial resemblance to Caracalla to reinforce the regime's claim of direct dynastic descent. The execution of the wreath ribbons, drapery folds, and hair curls varies subtly between individual dies, reflecting the distinct hands of different master celatores active in the imperial workshops.

Reverse Iconography and the Mars Victor Motif

The reverse of the coin features an animated depiction of Mars Victor, the Roman god of war in his role as victorious conqueror. Mars is portrayed advancing briskly to the right, his youthful, athletic body shown naked apart from a billowing military cloak, or chlamys, that drapes from his left shoulder or waist. He wears a crest-topped Roman helmet, emphasizing his divine guardianship over martial affairs. In his right hand, the deity grasps a transverse spear held diagonally across his body, signaling active military intervention, while his left arm supports a military trophy rested over his shoulder. The trophy consists of captured enemy armor, including a cuirass, helmet, and greaves mounted upon a wooden framework, symbolizing triumphant vanquishment on the battlefield. The iconography of Mars Victor belongs to an extensive Severan repertoire intended to project an image of formidable defense and divine favor. For Elagabalus, whose religious eccentricities and devotion to the Emesene solar cult increasingly alienated Roman traditionalists, the reverse motifs on standard silver denarii remained anchored in orthodox Roman religious and military concepts. By invoking Mars Victor, the administration sought to assure the senate, people, and armed forces that the empire's borders and military dignity remained under the vigorous protection of Rome's ancestral pantheon.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The legends on RIC IV Elagabalus 121b are inscribed in clean, classical Latin capitals, executed along the outer periphery of both faces. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG, an abbreviated epigraphic formula expanding to Imperator Caesar Antoninus Augustus. This inscription represents the condensed titular form adopted early in the emperor's reign. The title Imperator, originally a republican military acclamation, designates supreme supreme commander; Caesar connects the ruler directly to the Julio-Claudian founding lineage and subsequent imperial dynasty; Antoninus explicitly asserts continuity with Caracalla and Marcus Aurelius; and Augustus expresses the sacrosanct majesty of the ruling princeps. Notably absent from this specific legend are the traditional iterations of tribunician power, consulship, or the honorary title Pater Patriae, indicating that this formula was chosen for conciseness or struck before annual updates were standardized on dated reverse types. On the reverse, the legend reads simply MARS VICTOR. This direct dedication pairs the deity's name with his victorious epithet, operating as an ideological caption to the central figurative image. Epigraphic letterforms on Rome mint dies of this period typically exhibit sharp, triangular serifs, evenly spaced lettering, and standardized letter heights, providing clear paleographic criteria for identifying urban issues versus provincial imitations.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within modern numismatic taxonomy, RIC IV Elagabalus 121b represents a sub-type defined by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in their foundational catalogue of Severan coinage. The broader entry RIC IV 121 encompasses silver denarii struck at Rome featuring the obverse legend IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG and the reverse design of Mars advancing right with spear and trophy. Sub-type 121a designates specimens with a laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust, whereas sub-type 121b is restricted to specimens where the bust is laureate and draped only. While the master catalogue entry spans the overall reign from AD 218 to AD 222, chronological studies by numismatists suggest that denarii bearing the shorter obverse legend IMP CAES ANTONINVS AVG were concentrated primarily in the earlier portion of the principate, specifically circa AD 218 to AD 219. As the reign progressed, the mint of Rome shifted predominantly toward longer obverse formulas, such as IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, or paired reverse designs with explicit tribunician dates. Nevertheless, because non-dated types were often re-struck or continued alongside newer series, numismatic databases such as Online Coins of the Roman Empire catalog the broad type parameters across the full titular span. Typological distinctions between die varieties within 121b remain limited to minor adjustments in bust proportions, the angle of the spear, and the drapery arrangement.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Afterlife

Following their release from the Rome mint, denarii of type RIC IV 121b entered wide imperial circulation, integrating seamlessly into existing pools of Severan silver. Hoard evidence from western provinces such as Britannia, Germania Superior, and the Danubian frontier demonstrates that coins of Elagabalus circulated vigorously alongside those of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and later Severus Alexander. Prominent third-century hoards across the empire consistently contain denarii of this type, often showing light to moderate circulation wear, indicating that they remained active in daily trade for decades after Elagabalus was deposed. Because subsequent emperors did not systematically demonetize the silver coins of condemned rulers, the damnatio memoriae inflicted upon Elagabalus did not cause the recall of his denarii, whose intrinsic metal value was needed to sustain the money supply. Consequently, specimens of RIC IV 121b continued to pass through hands until the massive economic disruptions of the mid-third century AD, when the runaway debasement under Valerian and Gallienus rendered older Severan denarii attractive targets for private hoarding or institutional remelting.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman World. pp. 87-104
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan. pp. 581-590
3. Coin and Money in the Roman Empire. pp. 125-132
4. Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Coinage, A.D. 193-284. pp. 165-178
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 121b. Type record ric.4.el.121b
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 34-35, no. 121