Marcus Aurelius Bronze As RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145

Monetary Context and Denominational System

The as had formed the historical backbone of the Roman bronze currency system since the Republican era and retained an indispensable role in daily low-value transactions during the High Roman Empire. Following the monetary reforms instituted by Augustus in the late first century BC, the as was typically minted from relatively pure red copper, distinguishing it from the brass or orichalcum used for the larger sestertius and dupondius. Within the prevailing tariffing structure of the Antonine age, sixteen asses equaled one silver denarius, and four asses constituted a sestertius. As a foundational fraction, the as facilitated petty retail purchases, market food purchases, local wage payments, and municipal transit tolls throughout Rome and the surrounding provinces. By the reign of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161 to 180), inflationary pressures and heavy state expenditures incurred during the Antonine Plague and prolonged northern border conflicts strained imperial finances. While the silver denarius experienced gradual reductions in fineness under Marcus Aurelius, the base-metal denominations maintained stable physical metrics to sustain domestic commerce and support soldier pay spent in military frontier markets. RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 represents this vital functional tier, combining standard base-metal token utility with official imperial announcements authorized through senatorial decree.

Mint Operation and Technical Production

All regular bronze coinage bearing official Roman senatorial authorization during this phase of the Antonine principate was produced at the single central imperial mint located in Rome. The production of the as involved casting blank flans in open or two-part molds, followed by manual adjustment using shears or files to ensure approximate compliance with target weight standards. Under Marcus Aurelius, the theoretical weight standard for the as generally hovered between 9.5 and 11.5 grams, with typical diameters measuring between 24 and 27 millimeters, though individual striking variations were routine in base-metal manufacture. Dies were hand-engraved by trained mint celators who etched the emperor's portrait into lower anvil dies and the reverse iconography into upper punch dies. The striking process utilized manual hammer blows, which could impart slight eccentricities, irregular edges, and variable die axes across the surviving population. The production of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 fulfilled both logistical currency supply needs for the Italian peninsula and ideological mandates, using the vast output capacity of the capital mint to broadcast the political and religious messaging of Marcus Aurelius.

Obverse Portraiture and Regal Presentation

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 presents a right-facing bust of Marcus Aurelius adorned with a laurel wreath, drapery, and a military cuirass. This specific portrait typology exemplifies the mature iconography of Marcus Aurelius, who had adopted the flowing beard and curling hair associated with Stoic philosophical tradition early in his reign. By the mid-170s AD, portraiture on imperial coinage introduced heavier facial modeling, deepened eye contours, and accentuated brow lines, reflecting the physical wear of continuous campaigns along the Danube against the Marcomanni and Quadi. The laurel wreath symbolizes imperatorial triumph and sacred authority, while the combination of paludamentum and cuirass emphasizes the emperor's role as supreme commander in the field. Engravers at the Rome mint captured both the stoic gravitas and military preparedness of the ruler, balancing the civic majesty of the principate with the harsh realities of active imperial defense along the northern frontier.

Reverse Iconography of Father Tiber

The reverse of the type features the personification of the river god Tiber (Tiberinus Pater), reclining toward the left against an uneven groundline. In classical Greco-Roman art, fluvial deities were routinely depicted in recumbent postures draped from the waist down, symbolizing the gentle, nourishing flow of freshwater. In this composition, Tiber is semi-draped, with his left elbow leaning upon a partially visible vessel or urn that is tilted downward to pour forth water, symbolizing the perpetual stream of the river. In his raised left hand, Tiber holds a tall reed stalk, a traditional attribute denoting marshland vegetation and riverbanks. Tiber's right hand rests steadily upon the prow of a ship emerging from the left field, an attribute that underscores the naval navigation and mercantile transport enabled by the river between the Mediterranean port of Ostia and the imperial capital. Flanking the lower fields are the bold letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. The appearance of Tiber on mid-170s base-metal coinage is widely interpreted by historians as an invocation of Rome's sacred geographical heartland, reaffirming civic safety and maternal abundance even as the emperor fought hundreds of miles away in Central Europe.

Epigraphy and Imperial Titulature

The inscriptions on RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 provide exact administrative and chronological data regarding its issue. The obverse legend reads M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXIX, rendered in the nominative case. Here, 'M ANTONINVS' identifies Marcus Aurelius through his formal adopted Antonine name, followed by 'AVG' for Augustus. The formula 'TR P XXIX' designates his twenty-ninth renewal of the tribunician power (tribunicia potestas), which ran from December AD 174 to December AD 175. The tribunician dating provides one of the most reliable anchors for Antonine numismatic chronology. The reverse legend reads IMP VII COS III, flanked by the senatorial authorization formula S C. The title 'IMP VII' records Marcus Aurelius's seventh imperial acclamation, awarded by the army following notable victories in the Marcomannic Wars, while 'COS III' reflects his third consulship, first assumed in AD 161 and maintained without subsequent ordinary tenure. Finally, 'S C' confirms the formal sanction of the Senate in the casting and distribution of base-metal currency. The epigraphy displays clean, classical serif lettering typical of high-quality urban engraving during the late second century AD.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the standard cataloging framework of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 is categorized under the bronze issues of the sole reign of Marcus Aurelius following the death of co-emperor Lucius Verus in AD 169. Mattingly and Sydenham grouped this issue within the tribunician year 29, corresponding strictly to the period between December AD 174 and late AD 175. While the Tiber motif had appeared earlier on imperial sestertii under Antoninus Pius, its reintroduction on the as during AD 174 to 175 reflects a deliberate ideological choice within a wider series of contemporary military, adventus, and votive types. Catalogers distinguish RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 from related issues primarily by the specific bust variety, which incorporates both drapery and cuirass over the laureate bust, and by the exact combination of the obverse legend TR P XXIX with the reverse legend IMP VII COS III. Neighboring numbers in RIC encompass variations in bust dress, such as bare or laureate heads without cuirass, as well as contemporaneous sestertius and dupondius emissions struck during the same administrative mint year.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Archaeological Context

As base-metal fractional money, asses like RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145 enjoyed extensive circulation throughout Italy, the western provinces, and the fortified legionary frontiers along the Rhine and Danube. Unlike silver denarii and gold aurei, which were frequently hoarded in vast underground deposits during times of crisis, copper asses were rarely sequestered in large institutional savings hoards. Instead, they predominantly occur as lost site finds in urban excavations, military camps, domestic settlements, and marketplace fills. Archaeological evidence from Roman Britain, Gaul, Germania, and the Danubian provinces reveals that second-century asses circulated for decades, often suffering extensive physical wear, surface abrasion, and environmental corrosion before eventual loss or discard. Coins of Marcus Aurelius continued to circulate well into the third century AD, serving as low-value small change long after the Severan dynasty introduced new currency standards. The presence of Rome-minted asses across military zones illustrates how logistical supply networks transported newly struck token money directly to frontier troops to facilitate localized camp economies.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 638-642
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 145-156
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1145. ric.3.m_aur.1145
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 303, no. 1145