Honorius Silver Siliqua RIC X Honorius 1266

Monetary Context and Denominational System

During the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD, the monetary system of the Western Roman Empire experienced significant structural transformations, particularly within the precious-metal denominations. The siliqua, initially introduced under Constantine I and standardized under Constantius II, served as the primary circulating silver coin of Late Antiquity. By the opening decades of the fifth century, however, silver minting in the west had declined in absolute volume relative to gold solidi and fractional tremisses. Under Honorius, the theoretical standard of the siliqua had dropped significantly from its fourth-century level of approximately 2.0 grams to a reduced standard often centered between 1.35 grams and 1.50 grams, and in practice frequently lower due to flan reductions and widespread contemporary clipping. The issue classified as RIC X Honorius 1266 was struck in this fiscal climate of retrenchment. Silver coinage was minted primarily for specific state disbursements, gifts, and military compensation rather than pervasive everyday retail exchange. In maintaining silver production at Rome, the western court under the influence of the magister militum Stilicho reaffirmed classical monetary traditions while navigating severe revenue strains and the logistics of supplying forces against internal usurpers and migrating Gothic forces.

Production and Minting at Rome

RIC X Honorius 1266 was produced at the urban mint of Rome, which continued to operate as a critical mint for precious metals alongside northern centers such as Mediolanum and Ravenna. Following the imperial visit of Honorius to Rome in AD 404, when the emperor held his sixth consulship and celebrated a triumph over the Visigoths, the Rome mint resumed an active role in striking ceremonial and functional precious-metal coinages. Production of this silver type was organized under standard Late Roman officina protocols, though the siliquae of this period commonly bear mintmarks such as RMPS or related Rome signatures in the exergue to denote the city of origin and workshop. The mechanical preparation of flans reflects the hurried or resource-constrained nature of early fifth-century silver striking; flans are frequently thin, compact, and occasionally irregular, with module diameters commonly falling between 12 and 15 millimeters. Die engraving displays the characteristic stylistic traits of early fifth-century Rome workshops, where fine classical naturalism had transitioned into stylized, linear, and sharply delineated imperial portraits and emblematic personifications.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Presentation

The obverse of RIC X Honorius 1266 presents the portrait of Arcadius, the senior Augustus residing at Constantinople, even though the issue was produced in a western mint under Honorius's territorial authority. Arcadius is rendered as a right-facing bust, dressed in the customary formal military and administrative attire of late Roman emperors: pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed. The pearl diadem, comprised of twin rows of pearls fastened at the back of the head with pendilia, serves as the quintessential emblem of imperial sovereignty established in the fourth century. The portrait is executed in the stylized late antique manner typical of the Rome mint in the 400s AD, characterized by large almond-shaped eyes, an arched nose, and a rigid, formal profile designed to emphasize majestic detachment rather than individualized realism. The presence of Arcadius on Rome's silver reinforces the constitutional principle of imperial collegiality, whereby coins struck in one administrative half of the empire regularly acknowledged the ruler of the other half.

Reverse Iconography: Roma Seated

The reverse design of this siliqua portrays Roma, the divine personification of the Roman state and city, seated left upon a cuirass. In her extended right hand, Roma holds a miniature Victory standing upon a globe, who in turn holds a wreath and a palm branch over her shoulder. In her left hand, Roma supports an inverted spear, resting the shaft vertically against her body. The iconography of seated Roma had been a standard motif on late Roman silver since the middle of the fourth century, symbolizing military supremacy, eternal authority, and unbroken continuity. The depiction of Roma seated directly on military armor highlights the defensive posture of the western regime in the face of ongoing barbaric incursions. By seating Roma on a cuirass rather than a throne, the Rome mint recalled specific martial typologies popularized during earlier decades while presenting a unified, timeless assertion of state defense and triumph over adversaries.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The legends on RIC X Honorius 1266 are executed in clear late Roman Latin capitals and convey essential imperial ideology. The obverse legend reads D N ARCADI-VS P F AVG, which expands to Dominus Noster Arcadius Pius Felix Augustus. The inscription is broken symmetrically across the imperial diadem (ARCADI-VS), a standard epigraphic practice of the late fourth and early fifth centuries that helped visually center the ruler's portrait. The title affirms Arcadius as 'Our Lord, Pious and Fortunate Augustus'. The reverse inscription reads VIRTVS RO-MANORVM, translated as 'The Valor of the Romans'. This legend break (RO-MANORVM) divides the text evenly above the seated figure of Roma, harmonizing the visual weight of the coin. Below the groundline in the exergue, the mint signature of Rome appears, typically presented as RMPS or comparable variations indicating the Rome mint and its respective officina. The epigraphy exhibits neat, slender lettering characteristic of Rome die-cutters of the early 400s AD.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within the corpus of late Roman numismatics, RIC X Honorius 1266 is catalogued under the western issues of Honorius, specifically assigned to the period AD 404 to 408. This dating aligns with the aftermath of Honorius's formal adventus in Rome in late 403 or early 404 and terminates with the death of Arcadius in May 408, which naturally brought an end to western strikings in his brother's name. The type is closely parallel to the contemporary silver struck with the obverse portrait and legend of Honorius himself (RIC X 1267). Together, these issues constitute the penultimate phase of regular, official silver siliqua striking at Rome prior to the catastrophic political ruptures of AD 408 to 410, marked by the execution of Stilicho, the subsequent sieges of Rome by Alaric, and the elevation of the usurper Priscus Attalus. As such, RIC X 1266 represents a crucial benchmark for the final coherent phase of dual-emperor silver output from the Rome mint before the breakdown of central administrative control.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

Siliquae of the early fifth century circulated under rapidly changing economic and political conditions. While fourth-century silver had moved widely across the western provinces, including significant concentrations in Gaul and Roman Britain, issues from AD 404 to 408 are found in markedly lower numbers across the northwestern frontier. In Britain, where large hoards of clipped siliquae are well documented, the inflow of fresh Italian silver had largely ceased or slowed to an intermittent trickle by the withdrawal of imperial administration around AD 409 to 410. Consequently, RIC X Honorius 1266 occurs only rarely in western hoards, often displaying evidence of severe wear, deliberate clipping of the outer legend to recover silver bullion, or secondary circulation within Italy and the western Mediterranean basin. The surviving pool of specimens reflects not a high-volume commercial currency, but a specialized, tightly husbanded state coinage that saw limited geographic distribution and rapid attrition amidst the fiscal collapse of the Western Empire.

References

1. Fifth-Century Silver Coinage in the Western Roman Empire. pp. 185-214
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC X Honorius 1266. RIC X Honorius 1266
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume X: The Divided Empire and the Fall of the Western Empire, AD 395-491. p. 333, no. 1266