Maximinus Thrax Denarius: RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 (denarius)

Monetary Context and Denominational System

The emission of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 occurred during a pivotal transitional phase of the Roman monetary economy. By AD 235, the silver denarius had sustained over half a century of progressive debasement, initiated under the Severan dynasty to fund recurrent increases in military stipends and administrative overhead. Under Severus Alexander, the silver content of the denarius had been stabilized at approximately forty to forty-five percent fine silver, with typical strike weights averaging slightly above three grams. Maximinus I maintained this weight standard and alloy composition upon his accession to avoid disrupting troop payments and provincial fiscal mechanisms. Although Caracalla had introduced the double-denarius or antoninianus in AD 215, Severus Alexander had ceased striking the radiate denomination in significant quantities, leaving the traditional laureate denarius as the principal silver coin produced at Rome. The accession of Maximinus, who was proclaimed Augustus near Mogontiacum without initial senatorial deliberation, placed urgent logistical demands on the imperial treasury. The production of coins like RIC IV 12 served the vital function of disbursing donatives to the legionary forces that had installed him, as well as paying the standing frontier garrisons. The denarius thus continued to act as the primary medium of state expenditure, high-value commercial transactions, and taxation throughout the western and Danubian provinces.

Production and Mint Organization

The production of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 was concentrated entirely at the imperial mint in Rome. Surviving numismatic evidence, die-link analyses, and hoard compositions confirm that regional mints did not strike this initial denarius type; provincial operations remained reserved for distinct local civic bronze series or temporary logistical facilities later in the third century. At the Rome mint, production was organized into distinct workshops or officinae, operating under the oversight of imperial equestrian procurators. Scholars have attributed the early denarii of Maximinus to six active officinae, which divided the output of major reverse themes, including Pax, Fides Militum, Salus, and Providentia. The physical striking of RIC IV 12 relied on traditional manual hammering methods. Blanks were cast in round moulds or severed from cast silver rods, reheated, and struck between hand-held upper dies and anvil-mounted lower dies. Die survival patterns and stylistic variations in portraiture demonstrate that multiple engravers worked concurrently within the Rome mint, producing subtle differences in facial relief, drapery folds, and lettering placement. Despite the rapid transition of imperial power, the mint maintained rigorous administrative control over flan preparation, weight tolerance, and die alignment, reflecting the entrenched professionalism of the Rome mint staff at the outset of Maximinus's reign.

Obverse Typology and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 presents a right-facing bust of Maximinus I, depicted as laureate, draped, and cuirassed. In numismatic classification, this combination signifies imperial authority and military command, showing the laurel wreath tied at the nape with ribbon ties falling down the neck, while the drapery of the paludamentum rests over the segmented plates of military body armour. The portraiture of this issue is divided by numismatists into two stylistic phases. The earliest dies of AD 235 exhibit a transitional aesthetic, in which die-cutters at Rome, lacking first-hand access to the new emperor, adapted the established physiognomy of Severus Alexander, giving Maximinus a softer profile, shorter chin, and conventional proportions. Within weeks or months, as authentic likenesses or official imperial busts arrived from the northern frontier, the mint transitioned to a distinctive realistic style. This mature portraiture emphasizes the emperor's massive jaw, prominent chin, deep brow, receding hairline, and thick muscular neck. The portrait on RIC IV 12 captures the start of this shift toward veristic imperial representation, conveying stern military resolve and command presence. The truncation of the bust is carefully integrated with the surrounding inscription, preserving clear visual balance across the circular field of the flan.

Reverse Iconography: Pax Augusti

The reverse design of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 portrays Pax, the Roman personification of peace and concord, draped in long stola and standing facing left. In her outstretched right hand, she holds forward an olive branch, the universal classical symbol of reconciliation and cessation of hostilities. In her left hand and cradled against her left arm, she holds a long transverse sceptre, oriented diagonally across her body, which serves as a traditional emblem of divine sovereignty, order, and legitimate civic governance. This iconographic formula, labeled PAX AVGVSTI, was a standard element of the imperial numismatic repertory, yet its application in early AD 235 carried poignant political urgency. Maximinus had been elevated following the violent murder of Severus Alexander and his mother Julia Mamaea, an event that risked triggering immediate civil resistance from the Senate and regional armies. By invoking Pax Augusti, the imperial administration proclaimed that the sudden transfer of power was neither a rebellion nor a prelude to domestic turmoil, but rather the preservation of internal tranquillity and imperial continuity. Furthermore, the transverse position of the sceptre, rather than a vertical spear, emphasized domestic civic calm over active combat. As military reality shifted toward campaigns across the Rhine and Danube later in AD 235 and AD 236, this peaceful imagery yielded prominence to personifications of military loyalty and armed victory.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The epigraphy of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 is straightforward, compact, and strictly formulaic. The obverse bears the continuous circumferential legend IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG, read clockwise from the lower left rim. This formula incorporates the title Imperator (IMP) as a praenomen of command, followed by the emperor's adopted name Maximinus, the honorific epithet Pius (pious or dutiful), and the supreme title Augustus (AVG). Notably absent from this early legend are references to the consulship (COS), tribunician power (TRIB POT or P M), or the title Pater Patriae (P P), which became regular features of later dated issues from late AD 235 onward. The choice of PIVS emphasized filial devotion and respect for established religious and constitutional customs, reassuring senatorial sensibilities. The reverse legend reads PAX AVGVSTI, likewise curving clockwise from the lower left to upper right perimeter. The lettering style is characterized by well-formed, neat classical Roman capitals with distinct triangular serifs, executed with high technical competence by the seasoned engravers of the Rome mint. Inscriptions are uninterrupted across the upper flan on most specimens, though minor die variations exhibit subtle shifts in letter spacing and proximity to the figures. These inscriptions convey the core ideological message: the dutiful emperor brings peace and stability to the Roman world.

Typological Variants and Chronological Development

Within the typology of Maximinus I, RIC IV 12 occupies an exact chronological and thematic position. Mattingly and Sydenham, alongside Carson in BMC, assign the issue to the first emission of the reign, spanning from March AD 235 into early AD 236. The type is categorized primarily as an undated issue, standing parallel to the dated denarii bearing P M TR P COS (RIC IV 1) and companion allegorical issues featuring Fides Militum (RIC IV 5), Salus Augusti (RIC IV 14), and Providentia Augusti (RIC IV 13). Typological variation within RIC IV 12 consists principally of minor differences in bust drapery and portrait realism. While all standard specimens share the draped, cuirassed, and laureate bust facing right, the exact treatment of the shoulder plate, the volume of the paludamentum, and the facial proportions vary according to the die-cutter's progress from transitional to realistic portraiture. Minor die variants also occur in the angle of Pax's transverse sceptre, which ranges from a steep diagonal to a low oblique pitch across the lower body. RIC IV 12 must be distinguished from the later issue of Pax struck during the Victoria Germanica period, which sometimes retained similar reverse figures but appeared alongside mature consular titulature. By mid-AD 236, the Rome mint had shifted its primary reverse repertoire toward explicit celebration of northern triumphs, bringing the initial run of RIC IV 12 to a close.

Circulation Patterns, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Denarii of RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 circulated widely across the frontiers and urban hubs of the Roman Empire. Major hoard discoveries in Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces regularly include specimens of this type, typically found alongside late Severan denarii and early antoniniani. Notable deposits, such as the Guelma hoard in North Africa and various British hoards from the mid-third century, illustrate that these coins were not hoarded separately, but mixed freely with older silver denominations. Because the silver fineness of Maximinus's denarii was essentially identical to the output of Severus Alexander, these coins did not suffer selective melting under Gresham's Law during the initial years of the reign. Instead, they circulated continuously for several decades until the catastrophic inflation and hyper-debasements of the AD 250s and 260s drove old denarii out of circulation entirely. Survival rates for RIC IV 12 remain substantial, reflecting the high initial production volume required to secure the new regime's position. Most surviving specimens exhibit mild to moderate circulation wear, consistent with several years of active hand-to-hand exchange before being interred during the turbulent military crises of the mid-third century AD.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. VI: Severus Alexander to Balbinus and Pupienus. pp. 222-223, nos. 4-10
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. pp. 138-139, no. 12
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Maximinus Thrax 12 (denarius). ric.4.max_i.12_denarius