Macrinus Bronze Dupondius, RIC IV Macrinus 120

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

RIC IV Macrinus 120 belongs to the traditional orichalcum dupondius denomination, which formed an integral intermediate tier of the imperial monetary hierarchy established under Augustus. Valued at two copper asses, or one-half of a brass sestertius, the dupondius was an essential fractional piece used for daily marketplace transactions, retail trade, and the minor disbursement of cash. By the accession of Macrinus in AD 217, the Roman monetary system had experienced severe inflationary pressure, exacerbated by the substantial debasement of the silver denarius under the Severan emperors and the introduction of the double denarius (antoninianus) by Caracalla in AD 215. Although silver coins witnessed aggressive weight reductions and reductions in fineness, the imperial bronze denominations maintained considerable physical and compositional continuity. The dupondius continued to be struck on heavy base-metal flans, functioning as fiduciary token coinage guaranteed by the authority of the princeps and the Roman Senate. Macrinus's accession marked an acute political crisis, as he was the first Roman emperor of equestrian rather than senatorial rank, elevated entirely by the army following the murder of Caracalla in Mesopotamia. His new administration relied heavily on the swift output of traditional bronze denominations from the capital mint to reassert imperial stability, placate the civilian populace, and demonstrate adherence to established constitutional and monetary precedents. The striking of RIC IV Macrinus 120 served both fiscal demand in central Italy and symbolic confirmation of the regime's legitimacy.

Production, Technology, and Mint Attribution

The production of RIC IV Macrinus 120 is securely attributed to the imperial mint of Rome. Macrinus spent his entire reign in the eastern provinces of Syria and Asia Minor, never setting foot in the imperial capital, yet the administrative machinery of the mint at Rome continued to operate uninterrupted under the supervision of senatorial and equestrian officials. Dies were engraved by the established artisans of the urban mint, whose distinct stylistic hallmarks are evident in the treatment of the imperial profile, muscular anatomy, drapery folds, and lettering. The coin was struck from cast brass blanks, typically termed orichalcum, though chemical and spectroscopic analyses of third-century dupondii reveal a progressive decline in zinc content, shifting the alloy toward a mixed ternary bronze containing copper, lead, and residual zinc. Striking was performed manually using hardened iron or bronze dies, with lower obverse dies set into an anvil and upper reverse dies held by tongs and struck with a hammer. Die axis orientation at the Rome mint during this period was predominantly regular, adhering closely to vertical alignments (either twelve o'clock or six o'clock). Flans for the dupondius were cast in moulds, often displaying beveled edges, slight casting sprues, or irregular flan perimeters. The presence of the letters S C (Senatus Consulto) on the reverse records the formal decree of the Senate authorising the base-metal issue, reflecting the traditional administrative division whereby precious-metal minting operated under direct imperial prerogative while copper-alloy production retained formal senatorial oversight.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Macrinus 120 displays a mature, right-facing bust of the emperor wearing a radiate crown, draped over the shoulders, and fitted with a cuirass. In imperial numismatics since the reform of Nero, the radiate crown served as the visual diagnostic attribute distinguishing the dupondius from the laureate as, ensuring that users could immediately differentiate denominations even after the golden yellow tint of fresh orichalcum had darkened through circulation patina. The portraiture on Macrinus's first emission in AD 217 reflects an important transitional phenomenon identified in modern scholarship. Because the die engravers in Rome did not yet possess an authentic likeness of the newly proclaimed emperor, initial issues adapted familiar Severan features, showing Macrinus with a relatively short, rounded beard, prominent brow, and compact facial contours closely reminiscent of the late portraits of Caracalla or Septimius Severus. As official busts and imperial likenesses arrived from Antioch later in AD 217, the engravers shifted toward an individualized portrait characterised by a more elongated face, a longer and neatly trimmed beard, and prominent aquiline facial features. The bust type on this dupondius combines drapery and cuirass (paludamentum and lorica), an iconographic formula conveying both military preparedness as commander of the legions and civil dignity as magistrate of the state.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse design of RIC IV Macrinus 120 features the supreme deity Jupiter (Iuppiter Conservator or Custos) standing facing, head turned to the left. The god is depicted entirely nude, save for an imperial mantle or chlamys draped across his extended left arm. In his right hand, extended forward, he grasps a thunderbolt (fulmen), the weapon of divine judgment and celestial dominion. In his left hand, he holds a vertical sceptre resting toward the ground, signifying sovereign authority and eternal order. Jupiter held paramount significance on the coinage of Macrinus. Lacking dynastic lineage or descent from the Antonine and Severan houses, Macrinus sought supernatural sanction for his elevation, projecting his rule as placed under the direct guardianship of the supreme Roman deity. In the immediate aftermath of Caracalla's violent demise and the precarious military confrontation with the Parthian Empire in northern Mesopotamia, the invocation of Jupiter conveyed themes of preservation, safety, and divine cosmic order restored to the empire. The composition follows classical Hellenistic artistic models adopted by imperial die cutters, emphasizing athletic divine anatomy and proportional balance. Flanking the deity in the lower left and right fields are the large letters S and C, reinforcing the constitutional legitimacy of the issue under senatorial auspices.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The epigraphy of RIC IV Macrinus 120 is executed in the standard Roman imperial capitals characteristic of third-century epigraphic styles. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, transcribed as Imperator Caesar Marcus Opellius Severus Macrinus Augustus. The titular formula is dense with ideological significance. The praenomen Imperator signifies supreme military command, while Caesar and Augustus express supreme imperial status. By adopting the name Severus into his official nomenclature, Macrinus attempted an artificial posthumous association with the revered dynasty of Septimius Severus, hoping to legitimize his usurpation in the eyes of the Senate, the praetorians, and the provincial armies. The reverse legend reads PONTIF MAX TR P P P S C, expanding to Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Senatus Consulto. The inclusion of Pontifex Maximus (chief priest of the Roman state religion) and Pater Patriae (father of the fatherland) reveals that Macrinus assumed the full suite of conventional imperial titles shortly after his accession. Notably, the tribunician title is unnumbered (TR P), rather than iterative (such as TR P II). Because tribunician power was conferred upon Macrinus upon his elevation in April AD 217 and renewed on the standard calendar day (either 10 December or 1 January) at the start of AD 218, the absence of an iteration securely fixes the emission of this reverse legend to the year AD 217.

Typology, Classification, and Chronological Placement

Within modern numismatic taxonomy, the type is catalogued as RIC IV Macrinus 120, corresponding to related classifications in BMC V and the specialized study of Macrinus's coinage by Curtis L. Clay. Macrinus's coinage from the Rome mint is divided chronologically into three primary issues based on epigraphic formulas, tribunician iterations, and portrait development. RIC IV Macrinus 120 belongs squarely to the first issue of Rome, struck between May and late December AD 217. This initial phase is characterized by the unnumbered tribunician title (TR P), the early form of the obverse legend containing SEV (Severus), and initial portraiture displaying the shorter, Severan-influenced beard. Parallel types were produced simultaneously in other denominations, including the aureus, denarius, and sestertius (such as RIC IV Macrinus 24 and 119), which feature identical reverse legends and iconographic compositions of Jupiter standing left with thunderbolt and sceptre. The dupondius is distinctly separated in the typological sequence from the corresponding sestertius by its smaller module, lighter mass standard, and radiate crown. At the end of AD 217, Macrinus assumed his second consulship (COS) and second tribunician power (TR P II), prompting the introduction of new legends on subsequent issues, which brought the production of RIC IV Macrinus 120 to a definitive close.

Circulation, Archaeological Context, and Survival

Due to the brief fourteen-month duration of Macrinus's reign, his base-metal coinages were struck in considerably smaller quantities than those of long-ruling predecessors such as Septimius Severus or Caracalla. Dupondii, which were already struck in smaller volumes than sestertii during the early third century, were released into circulation primarily in Rome and the Italian peninsula before dispersing into the western provinces along commercial and military corridors. Archaeological findspots and hoard evidence indicate that Macrinus's bronze denominations circulated alongside earlier second-century issues of Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines, as well as contemporaneous Severan currency. Because base-metal coinage was not subject to formal imperial recall (damnatio memoriae) in the same systematic manner as public statuary or monumental inscriptions, surviving specimens of RIC IV Macrinus 120 remained in circulation until the severe bronze shortages and monetary reorganizations of the mid-to-late third century. Surviving examples today exhibit varying degrees of wear, frequently showing significant surface abrasion consistent with extensive commercial handling. In museum and private collections, dupondii of this specific catalogue type are notably scarce, reflecting both the limited initial output of base metal during the first emission of AD 217 and the general attrition of Roman fractional bronze over centuries of circulation and recasting.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 513-514
2. The Chronology and Attributions of the Coinage of Macrinus. Numismatische Zeitschrift 93, pp. 21-40
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Macrinus 120. RIC IV Macrinus 120
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 14, no. 120