Marcus Aurelius Bronze Sestertius, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

Under the Antonine monetary system, the sestertius constituted the principal large base-metal denomination of the Roman Empire, functioning as the primary unit of official public accounting and substantial day-to-day cash transactions. Struck in orichalcum, a golden-hued copper-zinc alloy valued above unalloyed copper, the sestertius was tariffed at four asses or one quarter of a silver denarius. The accession of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in March 161 AD followed the peaceful succession arranged by Antoninus Pius decades earlier. Because this accession established the first collegiate principate with two legal Augusti possessing equal imperium, the Roman state faced the ideological necessity of reinforcing the legitimacy, harmony, and constitutional propriety of the co-emperors. Large orichalcum flans, with their broad surface area and widespread visibility among civilian populations, were ideal vehicles for programmatic imperial messaging. Type RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823 was deployed in massive numbers to broadcast the stability of the new political order while simultaneously injecting necessary base-metal liquidity into domestic Italian and provincial commerce.

Production and Mint Organization

The entire regular production of imperial sestertii during the early 160s AD was concentrated at the central mint of Rome. The Rome mint operated under the oversight of imperial procurators and freedmen, structured into specialized officinae that coordinated flan casting, alloy preparation, die engraving, and striking. Blanks for sestertii of this era were cast in open or bivalve moulds, resulting in typical bevelled or slightly tapered edges. The alloy employed was orichalcum, nominally containing ten to eighteen percent zinc alongside trace impurities of tin and lead, although recycled scrap often modified metal composition over extended production runs. Die engravers at Rome produced dies with remarkable stylistic consistency, employing mechanical compass layout lines to align reverse figures and legend letters evenly around the perimeter. Sestertii of this series typically range in weight between 23.0 and 28.5 grams, with die diameters averaging between 30 and 34 millimeters. Dies were aligned predominantly at an upright or inverted orientation, reflecting the systematic use of fixed or guided manual striking equipment at the capital.

Obverse Typology and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823 presents a right-facing, bareheaded portrait bust of Marcus Aurelius. Unlike later issues that depict the emperor wearing a laurel wreath or radiate crown, the unadorned head on this early issue reflects an intentional civic modesty suitable to a princeps operating in close legal alignment with senatorial traditions. The portraiture belongs to the emperor's second major portrait type, characterized by curling hair arranged in dense locks over the crown of the head, a neatly cropped and rounded curly beard, and large, deep-set eyes beneath a prominent brow. This iconography emphasizes philosophical maturity and moral sobriety while retaining youthful vigor. Die cutters distinguished Marcus Aurelius from his co-ruler Lucius Verus by rendering Marcus with a more compact beard and distinctively aquiline facial features. The bare head also differentiates this base-metal type from the radiate dupondius denomination, ensuring immediate visual recognition of the sestertius.

Reverse Iconography and Composition

The reverse design presents Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus standing face to face, both draped in traditional Roman togas. They extend their right hands to clasp each other in the ancient gesture of dextrarum iunctio. In his left hand, Marcus Aurelius holds a rolled document or scroll (volumen), representing consular, civil, or legal authority. The clasping of right hands was a deeply ingrained Roman symbol used in marriage ceremonies and formal alliances to symbolize mutual trust, loyalty, and undivided harmony. By applying this gesture to the two Augusti, the reverse provides a vivid visualization of concordia augustorum, assuring Roman society that the co-rulers operated as a unified collective rather than as factional rivals. The senatorial abbreviation S C (Senatus Consulto) is placed prominently in the field to the left and right of the figures, declaring that this coinage and its ideological affirmation were sanctioned by official decree of the Senate.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG P M, an abbreviation for Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, Pontifex Maximus. This title reflects Marcus Aurelius's supreme position in the imperial hierarchy, notably his assumption of the high priesthood of Pontifex Maximus, an office retained solely by Marcus and not shared with Lucius Verus. The reverse inscription reads CONCORD AVGVSTOR TR P XVI COS III, completed by S C in the field. This expands as Concordiae Augustorum, Tribunicia Potestate sextum decimum, Consul tertium, Senatus Consulto. The dedication in the genitive or dative signifies devotion to the Concord of the Augusti. The imperial dating elements denote the sixteenth renewal of Marcus Aurelius's tribunician power, which took place in December 161 AD and concluded in December 162 AD, alongside his third consulship, which had begun on January 1, 161 AD.

Chronology, Variants, and Typological Series

RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823 belongs to the extensive celebratory coinage struck across 161 and 162 AD to inaugurate the joint reign. The series was produced in gold, silver, and base metals. Marcus Aurelius's sixteenth tribunician year provides a narrow, secure production window running from approximately December 161 AD to December 162 AD. Within RIC III, type 823 is categorized strictly by the bare head of Marcus Aurelius facing right, paired with the CONCORD AVGVSTOR TR P XVI COS III reverse. Related contemporaneous types include RIC III 824, which introduces a draped bust, and RIC III 825, which features a draped and cuirassed bust. A parallel series was struck concurrently in the name of Lucius Verus, displaying Verus's portrait and complementary titles, such as CONCORD AVGVSTOR TR P II COS II. Although minor variations in the spacing of the reverse legend letters and the folds of the imperial togas occur across individual dies, the fundamental composition of RIC 823 remains uniform throughout its emission.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Evidence

As the highest-denomination brass coin of its day, sestertii of the Concord of the Augusti series saw widespread circulation throughout the western provinces of the Roman Empire, particularly in Italy, Gaul, the Rhineland, and Britannia. Because base-metal coinages possessed extended circulation lifespans, specimens of RIC III 823 frequently remained in commercial use for decades, often circulating into the Severan era and the mid-third century AD. Excavation contexts across military frontiers and urban settlements frequently yield specimens exhibiting substantial wear, reflecting repeated commercial exchange. In contrast, hoards assembled in the late second century AD, such as major Romano-British and Gaulish temple deposits, demonstrate that fresh, early issues of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus were actively hoarded alongside older Trajanic and Antonine bronze. The survival of numerous examples in historical collections underlines the massive scale of the initial 161-162 AD emission.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume IV: Antoninus Pius to Lucius Verus. pp. 522-524, nos. 847-856
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823. RIC III Marcus Aurelius 823
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 279, no. 823
4. Die Münzprägung des Kaisers Marcus Aurelius nebst Lucius Verus und Commodus (MIR 18). Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1986