Marcus Aurelius Denarius, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 252

Monetary Context

During the joint and subsequent sole reign of Marcus Aurelius, the silver denarius served as the principal currency of account and military pay across the Roman Empire. The monetary landscape of the early 170s AD was deeply colored by prolonged campaigns against Germanic and Sarmatian tribes along the northern frontier, colloquially known as the Marcomannic Wars. The fiscal demands of maintaining large legionary deployments, combined with the severe demographic and economic disruption caused by the Antonine Plague, placed substantial strain on the imperial treasury. Although earlier emperors of the Antonine dynasty maintained a silver purity near 80 percent, metallurgical analyses conducted on issues from the 160s and 170s AD reveal a progressive lowering of silver content to approximately 75 to 78 percent, with a modal weight hovering around 3.25 to 3.40 grams. Denarii like RIC III Marcus Aurelius 252 were mass-produced to meet these escalating obligations, representing the standard silver purchasing unit across urban markets and legionary garrisons.

Production and Mints

The entire regular production of silver denarii bearing the titles of Marcus Aurelius in AD 171 and 172 took place at the primary imperial mint in Rome. Operating under the supervision of imperial officials within the administrative bureau of the procurator monetae, the mint of Rome was organized into distinct workshops, or officinae, that produced specific denominations and reverse types simultaneously. Flans were cast in individual molds or prepared from chopped cast strips, heated, and struck between hand-carved steel dies. Die alignment for the series was predominantly regular, adhering closely to a medal (twelve o'clock) or coin (six o'clock) orientation typical of the high imperial capital. The dies were prepared by master engravers who executed realistic portraiture reflecting the emperor's mature, weathered appearance during the northern campaigns, while ensuring legible and precisely spaced lettering along the outer borders.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 252 depicts the laureate head of Marcus Aurelius facing right. The imperial portrait captures the distinctive late Antonine stylistic conventions, characterized by deeply drilled curls of hair, an expansive, bifurcated beard, and prominent, reflective facial features conveying the philosopher-emperor's gravitas. Unlike some parallel bronze medallions and aurei of the period that include drapery or a cuirass, this denarius presents an undraped, unadorned head terminating cleanly above the truncation. The laurel wreath rests securely around the crown of the head, secured at the back by trailing ties with distinct loops. A fine dotted border encircles the composition, delimiting the portrait from the circumferential inscription.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography presents Aequitas, the personification of equity, fair dealing, and administrative integrity. She stands draped in a stola and palla, her body turned slightly toward the front while her head is directed to the left. In her outstretched right hand she holds a pair of balance scales, the standard classical emblem of equilibrium, justice, and accurate measurement in commerce and imperial distributions. Resting in her left arm is a substantial cornucopia, representing abundant harvest and divine prosperity guaranteed under proper governance. In the numismatic propaganda of Marcus Aurelius, Aequitas served a dual purpose: she reassured Roman citizens of the honest weight and value of imperial disbursements, and affirmed the fair distribution of donatives and grain supplies during a period of warfare and economic difficulty.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The obverse legend reads M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, abbreviating Marcus Antoninus Augustus, Tribunicia Potestate vicesimum sextum. This inscription confirms the emperor's official imperial styling following his adoption into the Aurelian house and dates the issue precisely through his twenty-sixth annual renewal of tribunician authority. On the reverse, the legend reads IMP VI COS III, expanding to Imperator sextum, Consul tertium. The formula proclaims his sixth imperial acclamation, awarded by the army and confirmed by the Senate in late AD 171 following notable victories across the Danube, alongside his third consulship, which he had entered in AD 161. The lettering is cleanly cut in square classical capitals, beginning at the lower left and running clockwise along the beaded rim.

Types and Chronology

The chronological window for RIC III Marcus Aurelius 252 is anchored between December AD 171 and December AD 172. Marcus Aurelius assumed his twenty-sixth tribunician power on 10 December AD 171, holding it until 9 December AD 172. His sixth imperial acclamation was declared late in AD 171, aligning cleanly with TR P XXVI. While other contemporaneous issues of late 171 and 172 bear reverse types depicting Victory, Mars, Roma, or Pax, this specific type is defined by the coupling of the TR P XXVI obverse with the Aequitas reverse. The issue represents one of several successive strikings of Aequitas denarii produced throughout the 160s and 170s, differentiated primarily by the yearly incrementation of tribunician numbers and imperial salutations.

Circulation, Hoards, and Deposition

Denarii of Marcus Aurelius bearing TR P XXVI circulated extensively across the Roman Empire, frequently appearing in hoards deposited along the Rhine and Danube limes, in Roman Britain, and across the central Mediterranean provinces. Because silver coins of the late Antonine era maintained consistent recognition across civil and military spheres, they remained in active circulation for several decades, often staying in use through the Severan period until the major debasements of the mid-third century AD. Wear patterns on recovered specimens range from minimal wear in hoards concealed during the Marcomannic conflicts to heavily worn flans found in late third-century savings deposits. Their recurring presence in northern European hoards underscores their vital function in subsidizing frontier defense, paying regular legionary stipends, and conducting daily transactions in civilian vici.

References

1. The Metallurgy of the Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 215-223
2. Coins and Power in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain. pp. 110-118
3. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 124-135
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 235, no. 252
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 252. ric.3.m_aur.252