Faustina the Younger Sestertius, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

During the mid-second century AD, the sestertius held a vital position within the tri-metallic currency system of the Roman Empire. Valued at one quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius was cast and struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper alloy composed primarily of copper and zinc. Because of its generous module, commonly measuring between 30 and 34 millimeters in diameter, and an average target weight hovering around 24 to 28 grams, the denomination offered the most spacious surface area among regular circulating coinage. Roman monetary authorities leveraged this broad flan to convey elaborate political and religious themes to both the general populace of Italy and the inhabitants of the western provinces. In the opening year of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, the imperial house faced pressing dynastic expectations. The delivery of male twins to Faustina the Younger on August 31, 161 AD, provided immediate reassurance of dynastic continuity following the death of Antoninus Pius earlier that spring. The emission of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 transformed this biological milestone into an instrument of state ideology, utilizing high-relief brass to broadcast the fertility of the imperial marriage and the anticipated security of the realm.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

The entire production of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 was concentrated at the imperial mint in Rome. Struck under the dual administrative oversight of the imperial treasury and the formal authority of the Senate, sestertii of this period were produced in substantial quantities to meet metropolitan and provincial demand. Orichalcum blanks were cast in individual molds or open casting trees, resulting in slight variations in thickness and circumference before being struck hot between hand-carved steel dies. Die alignment for Roman bronze coinage of the Antonine era was predominantly oriented close to twelve o'clock or six o'clock, although minor deviations were frequent due to manual die handling. The metrological framework of the sestertius under Marcus Aurelius maintained the traditional standard inherited from the late reign of Antoninus Pius, although individual specimen weights show typical dispersion within roughly 20 to 30 grams due to al marco casting techniques. Engravers at the Rome mint worked from centralized sculptural models, translating official portraiture of Faustina the Younger and dynastic iconographic programs across several parallel officinae or operational workshops.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 presents the right-facing draped bust of Faustina the Younger, who had held the rank of Augusta since 147 AD. Her hair is rendered in an intricate coiffure characteristic of her mature imperial portraiture, often categorized by specialists as her sixth portrait type. The hair is parted in the middle and arranged in prominent vertical waves running across the crown of the head, descending past the ear and temple before gathering into a voluminous chignon secured low at the nape of the neck. Minor curl locks often escape along the cheek or edge of the neck. Typological corpora record that while the bust is draped in the vast majority of dies, individual engraved dies introduce minor variations, including the occasional addition of a delicate stephane or diadem resting atop the front waves of her hair. The portrait emphasizes both maternal dignity and serene imperial majesty, aligning Faustina's personal likeness with the grand tradition of Antonine dynastic matrons.

Reverse Typology and Dynastic Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 constitutes one of the most explicit celebrations of imperial progeny in Roman numismatics. The focal motif is an ornamental pulvinar, a cushioned sacred couch traditionally employed in Roman religious ceremonies such as lectisternia to support the statues or symbols of the gods. Here, the draped couch features draped valances, turned legs, and decorative trim, serving as a seat for the twin infant boys Commodus and Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus. The babies are seated upright, turned toward one another face to face, with their little arms gesturing playfully. Directly above the head of each child hovers an eight-pointed or six-pointed star. In Roman visual language, celestial stars underscored divine favor, cosmic destiny, and a status akin to the heavenly Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux. By placing the imperial newborns on a divine throne under astral emblems, the design elevated the twins beyond mere mortals, linking their birth directly to the blessed revival of the Roman world.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The inscriptions on RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 are concise and evocative. The obverse legend reads FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, rendered in continuous clockwise fashion starting from the lower left. This formulation, omitting the paternal filiation common during the reign of Antoninus Pius, had become Faustina's standard obverse legend upon the accession of Marcus Aurelius. On the reverse, the legend SAECVLI FELICIT encircles the upper flan, an abbreviation of Saeculi Felicitas, meaning the Felicity of the Age or Happy Era. In the field or flanking the lower part of the couch, the letters S C appear, representing Senatus Consulto (by decree of the Senate). The epigraphy exhibits classic second-century imperial lettering, characterized by well-formed capital letters with subtle serifs, balanced spacing, and clean execution typical of the central Roman mint.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the standard reference work Roman Imperial Coinage, Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham catalogued this sestertius under the broad lifespan date range of 161 to 176 AD for Faustina the Younger under Marcus Aurelius. Subsequent specialized research, notably by Wolfgang Szaivert in his Moneta Imperii Romani study and Mattingly in the British Museum catalogue, narrowed the historical chronology substantially. The historical birth of the twins on August 31, 161 AD, provides a rigid terminus post quem for the creation of the dies. Because the elder twin, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, died in 165 AD at the age of four, the issue must have been designed and struck while both infants were living. Most numismatic scholars conclude that the emission commenced in the final quarter of 161 AD and may have continued into 162 AD. The type shares its reverse composition and epigraphy with matching issues in gold (aurei), silver (denarii), and middle bronzes (dupondii and asses), forming a comprehensive multi-denominational release celebrating the twins.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Wear Patterns

As a principal denomination for everyday high-value commercial transactions, sestertii of the Antonine era circulated widely and for extended periods. Specimens of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665 have been documented in coin hoards and stratified archaeological deposits throughout Italy, Gaul, the Rhineland, Britain, and the Danubian provinces. Because bronze coinage suffered substantial friction and surface corrosion over decades of use, many surviving examples display moderate to heavy wear on the high points of Faustina's hair curls and the torsos of the infants. Hoard evidence indicates that orichalcum sestertii struck under Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius remained in commercial circulation well into the third century AD, frequently circulating alongside later Severan bronzes until the systemic monetary upheavals and severe debasements of the mid-third century led to the abandonment of the traditional brass denominations.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 540-541, nos. 936-940
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1665. ric.3.m_aur.1665
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 347, no. 1665
4. Die Münzprägung des Kaisers Marcus Aurelius (MIR 18). MIR 18, Series 26