Julia Maesa Silver Denarius, RIC IV Elagabalus 275

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The silver denarius remained the cornerstone of everyday civilian commerce and state remuneration throughout the early third century AD, despite substantial metallurgical shifts. Under the reign of Elagabalus from 218 to 222 AD, imperial finances felt the continued strain of substantial military subventions, lavish spectacles, and administrative overhead inherited from the brief civil conflict with Macrinus. The double denarius, or antoninianus, which had been introduced under Caracalla in 215 AD, was struck in limited quantities at the beginning of the reign of Elagabalus before being phased out at the mint of Rome. Consequently, the traditional denarius shouldered the primary burden of state silver distribution. Metallurgical analyses conducted on Severan silver demonstrate that denarii of Julia Maesa under Elagabalus adhered to the debased baseline stabilized after Caracalla's monetary adjustments. Denarii of this period generally exhibit a silver fineness oscillating between forty and forty-six percent, with copper making up the majority of the remaining core alloy. Individual specimens typically range between 2.7 and 3.3 grams in total weight, reflecting a theoretical striking standard of approximately one ninety-sixth of a Roman pound. The extensive striking of denarii for imperial women served a critical fiscal and dynastic purpose. By placing Julia Maesa upon a standard medium of monetary exchange, the regime asserted the stability, legitimacy, and continuity of the Severan house to soldiers and citizens across the Mediterranean.

Production and Mint Organization

RIC IV Elagabalus 275 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the reign of Elagabalus, the Rome mint operated with a sophisticated system of workshops, traditionally termed officinae, which divided production between the emperor and members of the imperial family. Julia Maesa shared regular striking capacity with her daughter Julia Soaemias, the emperor's mother, and later with Julia Paula, Aquilia Severa, and Annia Faustina as imperial marriages shifted. The technical manufacture of these denarii followed conventional Roman casting and striking workflows. Blanks were cast in open or spherical moulds, resulting in rounded planchets that were frequently given a surface-enrichment bath in mild acid prior to striking. This pickle treatment dissolved exposed surface copper, leaving a microscopic layer of enriched silver that granted fresh coins a lustrous, high-silver exterior despite a heavily alloyed core. Die axes were predominantly aligned in vertical positions, typically fixed at roughly twelve o'clock or six o'clock, reflecting disciplined workshop oversight. The Rome mint's engraving style for Maesa exhibits exceptional consistency, distinguished by subtle plasticity, controlled lettering, and balanced proportions that set it apart from contemporary eastern production at Antioch.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Elagabalus 275 presents a dignified portrait bust of Julia Maesa facing right, draped in Roman aristocratic attire. Unlike the younger imperial wives of Elagabalus, Maesa is consistently rendered with the dignified physiognomy of an elder stateswoman. Her profile reveals a prominent nose, firm chin, and slightly sunken cheeks, communicating maturity, prudence, and authority. Her coiffure exemplifies the distinctive court style favored by the Severan matriarchs. Her hair is crimped into tight, parallel horizontal waves that run horizontally across the skull. At the back of the head, the hair is gathered and turned up in a broad, flat plait or chignon resting low against the nape of the neck, occasionally held in place by discreet pins. This elaborate hairstyle, while recalling the classicizing fashion of Julia Domna, is rendered in a slightly more stylized, geometric fashion typical of third-century Roman lapidary and glyptic arts. The drapery around her shoulders falls in soft, layered folds, emphasizing her modesty and rank as Augusta.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse design features Venus Victrix, or Venus the Victorious, standing draped and facing left. In her extended right hand, Venus holds forth a crested military helmet. In her left hand, she holds a transverse spear or sceptre, while resting against or supporting a circular shield, often planted beside her on the ground. The presence of military accoutrements in the hands of Venus provides a powerful symbolic synthesis. Since the late Republic, Venus Victrix had served as a patron deity of military triumph, celebrated notably by Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar. On this coinage, the martial attributes of helmet, spear, and shield directly associate Julia Maesa with the armed restoration of the Severan dynasty. It was Maesa's shrewd political maneuvering, financial distribution, and presence at the military encampments near Emesa that rallied the third legion Gallica to overthrow Macrinus in 218 AD. The imagery portrays the Augusta as an agent of victory who secures peace and imperial safety through divine favor.

Epigraphy and Legends

The legends on both faces of the coin are concise, struck in clean, Latin capital letters characteristic of third-century Rome. The obverse legend reads IVLIA MAESA AVG, an abbreviated form of Julia Maesa Augusta. The title Augusta, formally conferred upon her in 218 AD, signified her supreme rank within the imperial hierarchy, granting her public honors, constitutional inviolability, and the right to appear upon official state currency. The reverse inscription reads VENVS VICTRIX, articulating the theological and political identity of the goddess depicted. The epigraphy is regular, with tall, slender letterforms and modest serifs. Interpuncts are generally omitted from regular striking dies, resulting in unbroken circular strings that conform neatly to the beaded inner border. Die engravers carefully adjusted the spacing of the reverse legend to accommodate the transverse spear and the upright helmet without crowding, demonstrating sophisticated compositional planning.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Catalogued as type 275 in the fourth volume, part two, of The Roman Imperial Coinage, this issue represents one of several substantive reverse types struck for Julia Maesa at the Rome mint between 218 and 222 AD. It forms part of a thematic group celebrating female virtues and dynastic prosperity, which also included Pudicitia, Pietas, Fecunditas, and Juno. Because the legends on Maesa's coins omit imperial tribunician dates or consulships, dating within the 218 to 222 AD bracket relies on stylistic evolution and hoard compositions. Numismatists generally place the Venus Victrix type among the earlier issues of the reign, struck concurrently with the consolidation of power in Rome following the arrival of Elagabalus and his court from the East in mid-219 AD. Subtle die variations exist across known specimens of RIC 275, primarily involving the posture of Venus, the exact angle of the transverse spear, and whether the shield rests upon a low plinth or directly on the ground line.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Denarii of Julia Maesa saw extensive circulation across the Roman Empire, as confirmed by archaeological hoard finds spanning Britannia, Gaul, the Danube frontier, and North Africa. Due to their consistent weight and debased alloy, they circulated seamlessly alongside denarii of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Elagabalus. Under Gresham's law, earlier Severan and Antonine denarii with higher silver contents were often hoarded preferentially, allowing third-century issues like RIC 275 to remain in active circulation for decades. Hoard analyses, such as those from the shapwick and Falkirk deposits, indicate that denarii of Maesa remained in commercial use well into the mid-third century, frequently surfacing in deposits buried during the reigns of Severus Alexander, Gordian III, and even the Gallic Empire. Most surviving specimens exhibit moderate to heavy wear consistent with prolonged velocity of circulation, though well-preserved examples from early-buried hoards retain crisp details of the hairwaves and the crest of Venus's helmet.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 539-540
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 640-645
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Elagabalus 275. ric.4.el.275
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 49, no. 275