Gordian III Bronze Sestertius, RIC IV Gordian III 328A

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the joint and sole reigns of the mid-third century AD, the monetary system of the Roman Empire experienced severe structural strains, characterized by the progressive debasement of silver denominations and sharp fluctuations in state expenditures. Under Gordian III (reigned AD 238 to 244), the double denarius or antoninianus rapidly displaced the traditional silver denarius as the principal vehicle for military pay and imperial distribution. In this shifting economic climate, large bronze and orichalcum denominations retained an essential civic function. The sestertius, valued at four bronze asses or one-quarter of a denarius, remained the heaviest and most visually commanding coin in everyday Italian and provincial retail commerce. While inflationary pressures were steadily eroding the metallic value of imperial silver, the production of sestertii at the mint of Rome persisted on a substantial scale. Type RIC IV Gordian III 328A exemplifies the state's continued commitment to supplying large-format copper-alloy coinage. Because of its generous surface area, the sestertius functioned not merely as a commercial tool for daily transactions of higher value, but also as an indispensable ideological canvas. Through sestertii like RIC IV 328A, the imperial administration could project carefully calibrated public messages of legitimacy, divine favour, and civil prosperity directly to civilian populations who handled base-metal currency daily.

Mint Operation and Technical Production

The entire regular emission of RIC IV Gordian III 328A is attributed to the central mint at Rome. Although Gordian III operated an auxiliary eastern mint, generally identified with Antioch, to support his extensive Persian expedition between AD 242 and 244, base-metal sestertii of standard imperial types remained almost exclusively the preserve of the capital's workshops. At Rome, the imperial mint was organized into designated operational sections or officinae, coordinating the processing of orichalcum flans and the cutting of official dies. Technically, these coins were produced using cast flans struck between engraved bronze or iron dies. The alloy used for sestertii in this era was nominally orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy, although metallurgical analyses of mid-third-century issues demonstrate significant variations, including declining zinc content and the introduction of lead and tin impurities. Die alignment on these issues is predominantly vertical or near-vertical, conventionally designated as six o'clock or twelve o'clock, reflecting the mechanical discipline of Rome's mint workers. Flans of this issue typically weigh between 18 and 22 grams with diameters ranging from 28 to 32 millimeters, showing the slightly reduced standards typical of Gordian's later bronze coinage compared to early imperial sestertii.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Gordian III 328A features a mature right-facing bust of Gordian III, executed in the expressive style characteristic of his late Rome coinage. The emperor is shown wearing the laurel wreath (laureate), draped in a paludamentum, and wearing a military cuirass beneath the drapery. Unlike contemporary antoniniani, which regularly bore the radiate crown to mark a double denomination, sestertii consistently maintained the traditional laurel wreath as the signifier of the single unit. Portraiture on this type illustrates the rapid physical transition recorded by Rome's engravers during Gordian's six-year reign. Appointed Augustus in AD 238 as an adolescent of thirteen years, early portraits present rounded, youthful facial features. By the time RIC IV 328A was produced in AD 241 to 244, the portraiture had evolved into an idealized young adult. The portrait displays a firmer jawline, distinct bone structure, short-cropped hair beneath the wreath, and imperial military garb, conveying the image of an active commander participating in the defense of the eastern frontiers.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC IV Gordian III 328A presents the standing figure of Felicitas, the Roman personification of good fortune, civil prosperity, and temporal happiness. She is depicted draped in classical stola and palla, standing facing left. In her extended right hand she elevates a long caduceus, the ancient attribute of Mercury symbolizing peace, commerce, and harmonious resolution. In her left arm she cradles a cornucopiae, the horn of abundance overflowing with the fruits of the earth, symbolizing material prosperity and agricultural plenty. Flanking the standing figure in the lower fields are the large letters S and C, an abbreviation for Senatus Consulto. This traditional formula signaled that the coinage was produced by decree of the Senate, maintaining a constitutional convention established under Augustus. The visual pairing of the caduceus and the cornucopiae under the banner of Felicitas reinforced the political message that under Gordian's governance, civil harmony and physical well-being were fully secured for the Roman world, contrasting sharply with the military turmoil on the imperial frontiers.

Epigraphic Traditions and Legend Analysis

The epigraphy of RIC IV Gordian III 328A adheres to standard imperial conventions established during the middle of Gordian's reign. The obverse legend reads IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, without internal breaks or occasionally with minor spacing conforming to the portrait profile. This standard titulature incorporates the military salutation Imperator (IMP), the emperor's nomen Gordianus, the honorific epithets Pius (dutiful) and Felix (fortunate, here abbreviated FEL), and concludes with Augustus (AVG). Notably absent are explicit tribunician or consular numbers, which complicates exact calendar dating but conforms to the simplified epigraphic practice favored on concurrent middle-period and late-period bronze issues. The reverse inscription reads FELICIT TEMPOR, an abbreviated form of the Latin phrase Felicitas Temporum, translating as 'The Felicity of the Times' or 'The Blessed Happiness of the Age'. In the left and right fields, the senatorial authority mark S C is inscribed across the composition. The lettering is cleanly cut in square Roman capitals, typical of the mature stylistic phase of the Rome mint during the early 240s AD, displaying high legibility designed for widespread civic comprehension.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the standard reference corpus of Roman Imperial Coinage, this issue is catalogued as RIC IV Gordian III 328A. It belongs to the broader typological family celebrating Felicitas Temporum struck in both precious and base metals during the latter half of the reign. Mattingly, Sydenham, and Sutherland placed the emission of this specific type between AD 241 and 244, assigning it to the fifth or sixth main issues of Gordian's Rome mint. This placement coincides with the political ascendance of Gaius Furius Sabinius Aquila Timesitheus, Gordian's father-in-law and Praetorian Prefect, who effectively directed state administration and military logistics from AD 241 until his death in AD 243. RIC IV 328A is typologically distinguished from earlier sestertii of Gordian III by the combination of the mature IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG obverse legend and the standing Felicitas reverse holding a long caduceus rather than a short caduceus or patera. Minor die varieties exist in the arrangement of the reverse drapery and the exact angle of the caduceus, but the central iconography and inscriptions remain constant throughout the emission.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Loss

Sestertii of Gordian III, including RIC IV 328A, formed one of the last truly abundant horizons of large Roman base-metal coinage to circulate extensively across the western empire. Hoard evidence and archaeological excavation finds from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, Gaul, and Italy show that these coins circulated alongside worn sestertii from the Antonine and Severan dynasties. Because base-metal coin supply began to contract sharply after the reign of Philip I and the catastrophic debasement of silver in the 250s AD, sestertii struck under Gordian III often remained in active circulation for decades. Many recovered specimens show heavy wear consistent with protracted circulation through the middle of the third century AD. In western hoards containing bronze coinage deposited during the Gallic Empire in the 260s and 270s AD, Gordian's sestertii are consistently present, often bearing countermarks or significant surface smoothing. By the time of the monetary reforms of Aurelian and Diocletian in the late third century AD, the traditional sestertius had ceased to function as a viable denominational unit, bringing an end to the active circulation life of the series.

References

1. The Coinage of Gordian III from the Mints of Antioch and Rome. pp. 101-118
2. The Production and Flow of Base Metal Coinage in the Mid-Third Century Roman Empire. pp. 45-62
3. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 126-132
4. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 128-135
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Gordian III 328A. ric.4.gor_iii.328A
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 48-52, no. 328A