Gordian III Silver Antoninianus, RIC IV Gordian III 3

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The radiate silver antoninianus, originally introduced by Caracalla in 215 AD, had lapsed from regular production under Severus Alexander, whose administration relied almost exclusively on the traditional denarius and its subsidiary bronze fractions. However, the fiscal emergency and soaring military expenditures of 238 AD, commonly known as the Year of the Six Emperors, prompted Balbinus and Pupienus to revive the radiate coin in vast quantities. Gordian III inherited this transformed monetary landscape upon his elevation to sole Augustus in the summer of 238 AD. RIC IV Gordian III 3 was struck as part of this foundational monetary policy, which decisively entrenched the radiate as the empire's primary silver denomination. Tariffed at two denarii while containing only approximately 1.5 times the silver content of an individual denarius, the antoninianus offered substantial financial profit to the imperial fiscus. The issuance of this type marked the irreversible transition toward the radiate denomination, which would completely eclipse the denarius during the early 240s AD.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

Production of RIC IV Gordian III 3 took place exclusively at the imperial mint in Rome. During this period, the Roman mint operated through an organized system of workshops, or officinae, which divided typological production among distinct reverse themes to meet massive administrative output quotas. Although officina marks do not appear on the surfaces of these early issues, die studies of the 238 to 240 AD output demonstrate a high level of coordinated die engraving and flan preparation. Flans were cast in individual molds or open sheets before being struck hot between engraved bronze or iron dies. The silver alloy of this early issue averaged roughly 40 to 48 percent silver, alloyed with copper and minor trace elements of tin and lead. Weight standards for the antoninianus under Gordian III clustered between 4.0 and 4.5 grams, though individual specimens exhibit noticeable variance owing to the mint's practice of striking coins al marco, prioritizing the aggregate yield per Roman pound of bullion over rigid individual tolerances.

Obverse Portraiture and Attributes

The obverse of RIC IV Gordian III 3 presents a right-facing bust of Gordian III rendered in the characteristic style of his early reign. Having attained supreme imperial power at approximately thirteen years of age, his initial portraiture captures his extreme youth with soft facial contours, a rounded jawline, and large eyes, while maintaining the requisite majesty of an imperial princeps. The bust is depicted wearing the radiate crown, the canonical numismatic attribute of the antoninianus that identified the emperor with the solar majesty of Sol. In addition to the radiate spikes, the emperor is shown both draped and cuirassed, combining the civil paludamentum with military breastplate to project his dual command of statecraft and the legions. Die engravers at Rome produced subtle stylistic variations in the treatment of the cuirass folds, the positioning of the drapery ties across the shoulder, and the length of the crown rays, reflecting the involvement of multiple skilled die cutters at the central mint.

Reverse Iconography and Propaganda

The reverse iconography of RIC IV Gordian III 3 is dedicated to Pax, the divine personification of peace and concord. She is depicted standing frontally with her head turned toward the left, clothed in long, flowing drapery. In her extended right hand, she elevates an olive branch, the universal ancient symbol of pacification, clemency, and cessation of hostilities. In her left hand, she holds a long, transverse sceptre, which rests diagonally across her body, symbolizing peaceful civic governance rather than aggressive martial dominance. Following the violent civil upheavals that destroyed the senior emperors Pupienus and Balbinus, Maximinus Thrax, and the elder Gordians in 238 AD, the Pax motif provided an urgent ideological statement. It promised an end to destructive internal conflicts, offered reassurance to the Senate and populace of Rome, and asserted that the newly unified administration of the young Augustus would usher in a period of civil rest and imperial tranquility.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The legends on RIC IV Gordian III 3 are rendered in clear, classical Latin capitals and conform to the standardized epigraphic style of the Rome mint in the late 230s AD. The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, expanding as Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Augustus. This formulaic sequence incorporates the military title Imperator, the dynastic marker Caesar, the familial tria nomina Marcus Antonius Gordianus, and the supreme imperial designation Augustus. Notably, this early obverse legend lacks the later inclusion of PIVS FELIX, which became standard on Gordian's coinage beginning in 240 AD, thereby providing a clear epigraphic milestone for dating the issue. The reverse inscription reads PAX AVGVSTI, meaning 'the Peace of the Augustus'. This legend grammatically anchors the abstract virtue of Pax directly to the person and auspices of the reigning emperor, asserting that social and geopolitical stability flowed directly from his legitimate rule.

Typology and Chronological Placement

In the typological framework established by Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Gordian III 3 is placed within Issue 1 of the Rome mint for Gordian III's sole reign, spanning the second half of 238 AD through early 239 AD. This initial series is defined by the short obverse legend IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, which directly succeeded the transitional coinage Gordian had struck as Caesar under Pupienus and Balbinus. Within this first substantive issue, the Pax reverse ran alongside other programmatically linked themes, such as Victoria Augusti, Fides Militum, and Virtus Augusti, which together formed a cohesive public narrative designed to stabilize the princeps' position. By late 239 or early 240 AD, the Rome mint altered the obverse epigraphy to IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, formally terminating production of RIC 3 in favor of subsequent typological series catalogued as RIC IV Gordian III 67 and related issues.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

As a principal denomination in an expansive initial striking, RIC IV Gordian III 3 entered wide circulation across the Roman Empire. Large quantities were transported to military stations on the Rhine and Danube frontiers to settle arrears, satisfy donatives, and pay garrison troops whose loyalty was paramount to the fragile regime. Significant numbers also circulated in commercial centers throughout Italy and the western provinces. Hoard evidence from Britain, Gaul, Germany, and the Balkans regularly features this type in substantial volumes alongside earlier Severan silver and contemporary issues of Gordian III. Because antoniniani minted before the monetary debasements of the late 250s and 260s AD retained higher silver fineness, specimens of RIC 3 were frequently hoarded during the economic instabilities under Valerian and Gallienus. Consequently, numerous well-preserved examples survive in institutional and academic collections today.

References

1. The Development of the Roman Coinage in the Third Century AD: The Evidence of the Hoards. pp. 63-95
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 128-135
3. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 120-125
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Gordian III 3. ric.4.gor_iii.3
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. p. 16, no. 3