Marcus Aurelius Sestertius RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The sestertius occupied a central position within the high imperial Roman monetary hierarchy established by Augustus and maintained through the Antonine period. Valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius was the largest regular base-metal denomination circulating throughout Italy and the western provinces. By the accession of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in March AD 161, the bronze denominations operated within a stable bimetallic and trimetallic fiduciary framework, where brass and copper token issues supplemented gold and silver coinages. Sestertii were struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper alloy enriched with zinc, which distinguished the denomination visually and metrologically from the red copper used for asses and dupondii. Although imperial fiscal policy relied heavily on silver denarii and gold aurei for legionary pay and international state disbursements, the sestertius represented the primary denomination for substantial domestic commercial transactions, tax remittances, and public donatives. Because of its generous module and broad physical surface, the sestertius functioned as the premier artistic and propagandistic medium of the imperial government. The transition of power following the death of Antoninus Pius required immediate visual justification of the newly inaugurated dual principate, and the high-volume production of brass sestertii such as RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 ensured that this political doctrine reached every sector of urban civic and market life.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

The entirety of regular imperial bronze coinage under Marcus Aurelius was produced at the central mint in Rome. During the Antonine epoch, the Rome mint was organized into distinct administrative units or officinae, which coordinated the engraving of dies, alloy preparation, flan casting, and striking for both the precious metal and base metal denominations. Production of sestertii for the accession emissions of AD 161 to 162 required substantial metallurgical preparation. Contemporary metallurgical analyses demonstrate that Antonine orichalcum experienced a progressive reduction in zinc content compared to early Julio-Claudian issues, often containing between ten and fifteen percent zinc with incidental amounts of tin and lead introduced through the recycling of older bronze scrap. The flans for RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 were cast in open or two-part molds, frequently leaving evidence of beveled edges or minor casting sprues that were smoothed prior to striking. Coins of this type typically conform to the Antonine sestertius standard, with mean weights centering near twenty-four to twenty-six grams and diameters spanning thirty-one to thirty-four millimeters, though individual specimens demonstrate significant weight dispersion typical of ancient batch-weighed production (al marco). Dies were oriented predominantly at twelve o'clock or six o'clock, reflecting the regulated mechanical discipline of the metropolitan mint staff.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 presents a right-facing portrait bust of Marcus Aurelius. The emperor is depicted wearing a laurel wreath tied at the nape of the neck with ribbon ties falling over the occiput. In accordance with the precise typological distinction of this catalogue entry, the portrait incorporates drapery gathered upon the left shoulder, seen from behind or from the side, while leaving the chest largely bare. This portrait style corresponds to the emperor's initial accession physiognomy, executed by master engravers who adapted the late portraiture of Marcus as Caesar under Antoninus Pius into his mature representation as Augustus. The features reflect Antonine court realism infused with imperial gravitas: a full, carefully parted beard styled in curly locks, thick curly hair bound by the corona triumphalis, and a composed, solemn expression. This deliberate iconography distinguished Marcus Aurelius from the youthful, energetic appearance of his adoptive brother and co-ruler Lucius Verus, underscoring Marcus's senior authority and philosophical temperament while asserting continuous dynastic legitimacy stemming from Antoninus Pius and Hadrian.

Reverse Typology and Concord Iconography

The reverse composition of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 presents one of the most celebrated political statements of second-century Roman numismatics. Two male figures stand robed in the toga, facing one another in solemn civil harmony. On the left stands Marcus Aurelius, turned toward the right, extending his right hand to clasp the right hand of Lucius Verus, who stands on the right facing left. In his left hand, Marcus holds a roll or volumen (scroll), representing legal and civil authority. This mutual clasping of hands, known classical as the dextrarum iunctio, was an ancient gesture derived from Roman marriage ritual and military oaths, here elevated to a sovereign political emblem of shared fraternal devotion and constitutional equality. The composition is symmetrically balanced, framed in the lower field by the prominent letters S C (Senatus Consulto), which verified the official decree of the Roman Senate sanctioning the brass issue. This scene was mirrored by parallel issues struck under the authority of Lucius Verus, creating a unified thematic programme across the entire Rome mint output of AD 161 and 162 that reassured the Roman populace that the two rulers governed in indivisible concord.

Epigraphy and Titular Formulae

The inscriptions on RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 provide vital chronological and ideological data. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG P M, representing the initial imperial title assumed by Marcus upon his accession in March AD 161. The title opens with the military praenomen of Imperator (IMP), followed by Caesar (CAES), the adopted gentilicium and cognomen Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and the august title Augustus (AVG). The presence of P M (Pontifex Maximus) at the conclusion of the obverse legend is of profound constitutional significance: although Marcus Aurelius elevated Lucius Verus to equal status as Augustus, the singular high priesthood of Roman state religion could not be divided, and Marcus alone held the title of Pontifex Maximus throughout their joint reign. The reverse legend reads CONCORD AVGVSTOR TR P XVI COS III, accompanied by S C in the field. The phrase CONCORD AVGVSTOR is an abbreviation for Concordia Augustorum ('the Harmony of the Augusti'). The administrative dating formula records the sixteenth renewal of Marcus Aurelius's tribunician power (Tribunicia Potestate XVI) and his third consulship (Consul III), confirming that the reverse was struck between December AD 161 and December AD 162, following his fifteenth tribunician term which expired in late autumn AD 161.

Typological Variations and Chronological Sequence

The Concordia Augustorum series struck for Marcus Aurelius constitutes an intricate sequence of related types spanning the fifteenth and sixteenth tribunician years (AD 161 and 162). Within the standard reference framework of The Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC III 827 is specifically defined by the combination of Marcus's sixteenth tribunician power (TR P XVI) with a laureate bust bearing drapery solely on the left shoulder. Neighboring catalogue entries account for minor obverse variations: RIC III 826 records the identical reverse paired with a purely laureate head devoid of drapery, while RIC III 828 and 829 encompass fully draped or cuirassed busts. Additionally, parallel types were produced during the initial months of the reign bearing the formula TR P XV (such as RIC III 795 to 797), marking the earliest phase of the accession coinage. The Rome mint also produced companion types in which the personification of Concordia is depicted seated holding a patera, rather than the standing figures of the emperors themselves. In the classification scheme established by Wolfgang Szaivert (MIR 18), these emissions are placed in the first emission of AD 161 to 162, forming an extensive multi-denominational issue that spanned aurei, denarii, sestertii, dupondii, and asses for both Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Because sestertii possessed considerable physical mass and high purchasing power, coins of the type RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827 circulated extensively throughout the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Roman Britain, Gaul, the Germanies, and the Iberian peninsula, as well as the Italian heartland. Hoard data and site finds indicate that Antonine sestertii remained active in commercial circulation for multiple generations. Sestertii struck in the early 160s AD continued to pass from hand to hand through the Marcomannic Wars, the reign of Commodus, and the Severan dynasty, frequently appearing in third-century deposits such as the vast Garonne river hoard in southwestern France. As a consequence of decades of prolonged circulation, surviving specimens commonly exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear, softening the intricate details of the emperor's curls and the facial features of the figures on the reverse. Specimens preserved in high grades of preservation typically derive from early provincial deposits or hoards buried shortly after striking. Over centuries of burial in varying soil chemistries, these orichalcum sestertii have acquired a broad spectrum of patination, ranging from deep glossy green and dark brown to mottled earthen encrustations.

References

1. I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali: Vol. III-1, Marcus Aurelius. pp. 24-28
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 827. ric.3.m_aur.827
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 279, no. 827
4. Die Munzpragung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus und Commodus (161-192). MIR 18, Moneta Imperii Romani, pp. 45-48