Marcus Aurelius Sestertius, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 826

Monetary Context and the Joint Principate

Upon the death of Antoninus Pius on March 7, AD 161, the Roman monetary system was immediately enlisted to legitimize an unprecedented constitutional model: two Augusti ruling in formal partnership. Although Marcus Aurelius held seniority as Pontifex Maximus, he ensured that Lucius Verus received identical titles and honours. The monetary authorities responded with an immense ideological campaign focused on imperial solidarity, issuing parallel types across the aurei, denarii, and brass or copper-alloy denominations. The sestertius stood as the premier visual instrument for civic messaging within Italy and the western provinces. Valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, it possessed a broad flan that enabled complex multi-figure allegories and extended titular inscriptions. The distribution of sestertii in large quantities during AD 161 and 162 also answered immediate fiscal requirements, including the customary imperial donatives distributed to the Praetorian Guard and legionary formations to secure their loyalty to the new joint regime.

Mint of Rome and Manufacturing Standards

The entire regular bronze and brass coinage for the central imperial administration in AD 161 and 162 was struck at the mint of Rome. Production of the sestertius was characterized by the use of orichalcum, a golden-toned copper alloy containing substantial quantities of zinc, which distinguished the denomination from the pure copper used for asses and dupondii (except where dupondii were also struck in brass). Blank flans were cast in open or clustered moulds, then brought to temperature and struck between hand-held upper dies and fixed lower dies. While the median weight for mid-second-century sestertii clustered around twenty-four to twenty-six grams with diameters between thirty and thirty-four millimetres, the mint operated on an al marco production principle, aiming for a consistent number of coins per Roman pound rather than individually adjusted weights. As a consequence, surviving specimens of RIC III 826 exhibit typical flan variability, irregular rims, and minor centering discrepancies characteristic of high-volume Antonine die operations.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 826 presents the laureate head of Marcus Aurelius facing right. The portrait represents the mature iconographic profile adopted immediately after his accession as Augustus. Departing from the youthful, shorter-haired portraits seen during his tenure as Caesar under Antoninus Pius, Marcus is shown with the elaborate, deeply drilled curls and full beard characteristic of contemporary Antonine imperial sculpture and philosophical self-representation. In accordance with the precise catalogue definition of type 826, the bust is truncated at the bare neck without drapery or cuirass, isolating the laureate head to focus viewer attention on the civic authority and sober majesty of the new senior emperor.

Reverse Iconography: Concordia Augustorum

The reverse composition illustrates Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus standing face to face, dressed in the formal Roman toga. The two rulers extend their right arms to clasp hands in the traditional gesture of dextrarum iunctio. Marcus Aurelius, situated on the left, holds a rolled document or scroll (rotulus or volumen) in his left hand, symbolizing his civic duties, constitutional authority, and legal mastery. The clasping of hands was deeply rooted in Roman matrimonial and diplomatic tradition, serving here as a public emblem of mutual trust, shared consensus, and seamless fraternal cooperation. The letters S C, signifying Senatus Consulto, are set into the lower fields or flanking the standing figures, affirming that the bronze emission was authorized by decree of the Roman Senate in formal harmony with the princeps.

Epigraphy and Titular Legends

The inscriptions on RIC III 826 provide precise political and chronological data. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG P M, expanding to Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, Pontifex Maximus. This formula incorporates the adoptive dynastic surname Antoninus, which Marcus assumed upon his elevation, while the title Pontifex Maximus reflects his position as chief priest of the Roman state religion, a prestigious title held exclusively by Marcus rather than shared with Lucius Verus. The reverse legend is CONCORD AVGVSTOR TR P XVI COS III S C. The phrase CONCORD AVGVSTOR abbreviates Concordia Augustorum, or the harmony of the emperors. The date is established by TR P XVI, denoting Marcus's sixteenth renewal of tribunician power, paired with COS III, marking his third consulship, which had been entered on January 1, AD 161. The inclusion of S C underscores the traditional senatorial endorsement of base-metal coin production.

Typology and Chronological Classification

The tribunician power of Marcus Aurelius was renewed annually on December 10. Consequently, TR P XVI establishes that RIC III 826 was minted between December 10, AD 161, and December 9, AD 162. This issue succeeded the initial accession coinage bearing TR P XV, which had been produced from March to December AD 161. In the system of Roman Imperial Coinage, type 826 is catalogued strictly for specimens displaying a simple laureate head facing right, separating it from parallel varieties that feature draped or cuirassed busts (such as RIC III 827). Furthermore, the issue corresponds to a mirror emission struck under Lucius Verus bearing his own name and tribunician reckoning (TR P II), thereby confirming that both imperial officinae at Rome simultaneously produced matching typologies to preserve institutional equilibrium.

Circulation, Attrition, and Archaeological Context

Large base-metal denominations like the sestertii of Marcus Aurelius circulated broadly across the European, North African, and Mediterranean provinces. While the gold and silver coinages were frequently preserved in bank reserves or hoarded during periods of economic instability, sestertii served as daily workhorse currency for higher-value commercial transactions, market sales, and local tax settlements. Archaeological discoveries in western Europe, particularly in Britain, Gaul, and the German frontier zones, demonstrate that sestertii struck in the early 160s AD remained in regular circulation for several decades, often exhibiting substantial surface wear by the mid-third century AD. The enduring prevalence of the Concordia Augustorum issues in site finds reflects the heavy initial volume produced by the Rome mint to ensure that the constitutional image of joint rule was familiar across every province.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 524-526
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 826. ric.3.m_aur.826
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 278, no. 826
4. Die Münzprägung des Kaisers Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (161/180). MIR 18, nos. 21-22