Macrinus Dupondius, RIC IV Macrinus 168

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

During the early third century AD, the Roman imperial monetary system maintained the traditional denominations established under Augustus, though profound internal economic pressures increasingly altered their metallic standards. Under the Severan dynasty, massive military expenditures and successive pay increases compelled significant debasements of the silver denarius and introduced the double denarius or antoninianus under Caracalla in 215 AD. When Macrinus seized power in the spring of 217 AD after Caracalla's assassination, he faced severe budgetary instability alongside a restless soldiery demanding the retention of heightened stipends. In the realm of base-metal coinage, the imperial administration continued to strike aes denominations in substantial quantities to meet civilian market demand, local commerce, and change-making requirements. The dupondius occupied a crucial functional tier within this system, carrying a tariffed value of two asses, four semisses, or half an aes sestertius. Since the Augustan monetary reforms, the dupondius had traditionally been struck in orichalcum (a golden brass alloy of copper and zinc), distinguishing it visually and intrinsically from the pure red copper used for the as. However, chemical analyses of Severan and third-century aes demonstrate that the zinc content in orichalcum had steadily declined due to scrap recycling and zinc depletion, blurring the strict metallurgical distinction between brass and bronze. Consequently, the radiate crown remained the paramount visual diagnostic marking the dupondius and distinguishing it instantly from the laureate sestertius and as. In striking RIC IV Macrinus 168, the imperial treasury sustained traditional urban monetary flow while utilizing base-metal circulation to convey imperial stability throughout Italy and the western provinces.

Mint Organization and Production at Rome

All imperial bronze and brass coinage bearing Macrinus's senatorial formula S C was produced exclusively at the imperial mint in the capital city of Rome. Although Macrinus spent his entire reign in the East, directing military operations against Parthia and establishing his administrative headquarters at Antioch, mint operations in Rome operated under established bureaucratic protocols supervised by the senate and imperial procurators. The Rome mint was divided into organized workshops or officinae, which coordinated the engraving of dies, blank preparation, and striking across all denominations. Copper-alloy flans for dupondii were cast in open or bivalve mould matrices before being adjusted and struck between hand-held upper and anvil lower dies. While sestertii constituted the overwhelming bulk of Severan large aes production, dupondii were produced in smaller, complementary batches. Weight distributions for third-century dupondii typically centered around eleven to thirteen grams, though individual flans frequently displayed considerable deviation due to rapid manufacturing tolerances and loose al marco weight control. Die axes at the Rome mint during this period were commonly regularized close to twelve o'clock or six o'clock alignments. The celators in Rome produced finely sculpted dies for RIC IV Macrinus 168, exhibiting the classicizing realism characteristic of metropolitan craftsmanship, which successfully translated Macrinus's official portrait model sent westward from the eastern provinces into three-dimensional medallic relief.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Macrinus 168 exhibits a right-facing bust of Macrinus wearing a radiate crown and military cuirass. Numismatically, the radiate crown had symbolized solar radiance and divine imperial power since the Julio-Claudian era, functioning simultaneously as an indispensable denominational marker for double-value coinages, notably the dupondius and the antoninianus. The cuirass reflects the emperor's official position as commander-in-chief of the Roman legions, consisting of a breastplate fitted over a military tunic with visible shoulder straps or pteryges. Stylistically, portrait dies for Macrinus at Rome evolved through distinct chronological phases documented by modern numismatists. Initial issues produced in mid-217 AD featured an older, severe face with a clipped, short beard, closely imitating the stern military visage of Caracalla to promote an appearance of continuity and quell suspicions of complicity in his predecessor's murder. Over late 217 AD and early 218 AD, celators at Rome adopted a more individualized model exhibiting a fuller, longer beard and a more dignified, philosopher-statesman demeanor suited to Macrinus's legal and administrative background as a former praetorian prefect. In both variations, the portrait rendered on RIC IV Macrinus 168 retains marked gravitas, presenting an authoritative image of legitimate supreme command despite the ruler's physical absence from the imperial capital.

Reverse Iconography: The Figure of Aequitas

The reverse design of RIC IV Macrinus 168 depicts the standing personification of Aequitas, draped in a traditional stola and looking leftward. In her right hand she extends balance scales, while in her left arm she cradles an overflowing cornucopia. Flanking her lower body are the prominent letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. Aequitas was an enduring imperial virtue intimately linked to the imperial treasury and mint administration. The balance scales represented fair measure, meticulous auditing, and uprightness in monetary policy, specifically assuring the Roman populace and the legions that the imperial government would guarantee honest commerce and sound currency. The cornucopia symbolized the resulting material abundance, civil prosperity, and commercial fruitfulness flowing from just administration. For Macrinus, who was compelled to address the hyper-inflated military payroll inherited from Caracalla by introducing a dual-tier compensation scheme for veteran and recruit legionaries, broadcasting the virtue of Aequitas served vital political purposes. The imagery assured Roman citizens and business communities that the new regime respected fiscal equity, balanced expenditure, and maintained stable coin quality. The S C inscription reaffirmed the institutional partnership between the new equestrian-born princeps and the traditional senatorial elite, whose formal decree authorized the issuance of token base-metal currency.

Epigraphic Analysis and Legend Formulations

The inscriptions on RIC IV Macrinus 168 are rendered in refined capital lettering along the perimeter of the coin fields. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, expanding to Imperator Caesar Marcus Opellius Severus Macrinus Augustus. This formulation reflects the full titular nomenclature adopted by the emperor upon his accession. The title Imperator asserts his supreme military imperium, while Caesar and Augustus confirm his imperial elevation. Notably, Macrinus incorporated the prestigious cognomen Severus into his official name to align his nascent dynasty with the memory of Septimius Severus, thereby seeking legitimacy among the loyal Severan military and civil populace. The reverse inscription reads AEQVITAS AVG S C, expanding to Aequitas Augusti, Senatus Consulto. The phrase Aequitas Augusti translates to the Equity of the Emperor, explicitly framing fairness and justice as inherent personal virtues of the reigning sovereign rather than abstract concepts. The closing formula S C stands as the constitutional guarantee of the Roman Senate, fulfilling the legal tradition governing the production of urban copper-alloy coinage. The epigraphy displays typical third-century Rome mint palaeography, featuring neat, seriffed letterforms, crisp punctuation stops when present, and an evenly balanced distribution of text around the flan perimeter.

Typology, Die Variations, and Chronological Placement

Within the typology of the reign of Macrinus, RIC IV Macrinus 168 belongs to the primary undated issue struck at Rome across the late months of 217 AD and early 218 AD. The Roman Imperial Coinage classifies Macrinus's aes issues into dated series, bearing tribunician numbers (TR P and TR P II), and undated series celebrating personal and civic virtues, including Aequitas, Annona, Fides, Felicitas, and Salus. Parallel reverse types of Aequitas were produced concurrently across the denomination spectrum, appearing on silver denarii, gold aurei, and bronze sestertii (RIC 167), demonstrating that Aequitas was central to the regime's coordinated thematic propaganda. Minor die variations exist among known specimens of RIC 168, particularly regarding the drapery treatment of Aequitas, the length of Macrinus's beard on the obverse portrait, and slight adjustments in the spacing of the reverse legend around the figure's head and scales. The issue terminated abruptly in June 218 AD following Macrinus's defeat at the Battle of Antioch by the forces supporting Elagabalus. Upon Elagabalus's victory, Macrinus was captured and executed, leading to a swift damnatio memoriae that brought an immediate halt to all coin production in his name at Rome.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Recovery

The circulation life of third-century dupondii was broad and enduring, as base-metal fractions regularly circulated for decades after their initial minting. Dupondii struck under Macrinus entered monetary circulation primarily in the urban markets of Rome and peninsular Italy, but military movements and trade quickly distributed specimens to frontier zones along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as Roman Gaul and Britain. Because the bronze denominations were heavily fiduciary compared to their intrinsic metal value, emperors rarely demonetized earlier aes issues even after formal decrees of damnatio memoriae against a disgraced predecessor. Instead, coins such as RIC IV Macrinus 168 remained in commercial circulation alongside worn second-century and Severan bronzes until the widespread economic crises and debasements of the mid-third century rendered small fractional aes uneconomic to maintain. Excavations from military camps, civilian settlements, and hoards across the western provinces occasionally yield Macrinus dupondii, typically exhibiting moderate to heavy wear consistent with extensive use. Due to the brevity of Macrinus's reign of roughly fourteen months, his total aes mintage was significantly smaller than that of prolonged rulers like Septimius Severus or Caracalla, making specimens of RIC IV Macrinus 168 relatively scarce within third-century archaeological contexts.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. Macrinus, Rome Mint, Aes Issues
2. The Chronology of the Reign of Macrinus (Numismatische Zeitschrift 93). pp. 21-40
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Macrinus 168. RIC IV Macrinus 168
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 21, no. 168