Philip I Bronze Sestertius, RIC IV Philip I 167A

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the joint rule of Philip I and his young son Philip II in the middle of the third century AD, the traditional Roman monetary system established by Augustus was experiencing intense structural strain. The double denarius, or radiate antoninianus, was rapidly displacing the denarius as the principal silver denomination and suffering progressive reductions in fineness. In contrast, the sestertius remained the premier heavy brass denomination for daily retail transactions, state accounting, and civic exchanges throughout Italy and the western provinces. Traditionally struck from orichalcum (a copper-zinc alloy) since the early Principate, third-century sestertii frequently reflected degraded metallurgical purity, increasingly composed of bronze or mixed leaded copper alloys as mint supply chains were disrupted. RIC IV Philip I 167A belongs to this late phase of the classic large brass coinage. Despite prevailing economic turbulence, the sestertius retained substantial purchasing power compared to minor fractional bronzes such as the dupondius or as. Its expansive flan provided an unmatched canvas for dynastic ideology and imperial messaging, serving as a prominent public declaration of stability when confidence in state institutions was severely tested.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

The sestertii cataloged under RIC IV Philip I 167A were produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. By the reign of Philip I, the capital mint was organized into distinct officinae (workshops), which coordinated the parallel production of gold, silver, and copper-alloy denominations to supply the capital and military distributions. In terms of physical production, official dies were hand-cut by skilled engravers working under tight bureaucratic supervision. Blanks were cast in moulds and struck hot or warm between heavy bronze or iron dies. Production standards for the mid-third-century sestertius exhibited greater tolerance and variation than during the early imperial period. Individual specimens typically range in weight from approximately 16 to 22 grams, with diameters commonly falling between 28 and 31 millimeters. The metallic composition often diverged from pure golden orichalcum toward quaternary alloys containing varying percentages of copper, zinc, tin, and lead. Die alignment for Rome during this era was generally regular, predominantly following a vertical six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation.

Obverse Iconography and Royal Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Philip I 167A presents a right-facing portrait of Marcus Julius Philippus. The emperor is depicted as laureate, draped, and cuirassed. The laurel wreath designates supreme military triumph and civil authority, serving on bronze coinage as the conventional indicator of the sestertius, distinguishing it from the radiate crown customary on the dupondius. Philip's portraiture reflects the realistic, soldier-emperor aesthetic developed in the mid-third century. Engravers portrayed him with a short, neatly cropped military haircut, a close-trimmed beard, a prominent brow, and distinct facial lines emphasizing mature administrative resolve and veteran command. The combination of the paludamentum (military cloak) draped over a breastplate signals both his readiness to defend imperial borders and his official role as supreme commander of the Roman legions.

Reverse Iconography: The Imperial Elephant

The reverse of the coin is dominated by a majestic elephant advancing to the left. Mounted upon or guiding the beast is an attendant, commonly identified as a driver or mahout, who holds a goad and wand to direct its movement. In the field or lower exergue, the standard senatorial letters S C (Senatus Consulto) frame the composition. The elephant carried deep ideological and religious resonance in Roman art. Since the Republic and early Empire, elephants were celebrated in triumphal processions and public games held within the Colosseum and Circus Maximus. Beyond their role as exotic spectacles of imperial power over the natural world, elephants were ancient symbols of longevity, temperance, invulnerability, and dynastic eternity. Their presence on coinage during the late 240s AD is closely connected to the magnificent games commemorating Rome's 1000th anniversary in AD 248 (the Ludi Saeculares), where unprecedented numbers of exotic beasts were displayed to emphasize the wealth, endurance, and global reach of the Roman state.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The legends on RIC IV Philip I 167A are formulated in concise epigraphic Latin, balancing traditional constitutional forms with third-century dynastic claims. The obverse legend reads IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, expanding to Imperator Marcus Julius Philippus Augustus. This standard imperial formula opens with Imperator, signifying supreme military acclamation, followed by Philip's gentilicium and cognomen, and concludes with the paramount title Augustus. The execution of the lettering is typical of the Rome mint in the late 240s, featuring sharp serifs and consistent spacing. The reverse inscription reads AETERNITATIS AVGG, accompanied by S C in the fields. The legend translates as 'To the Eternity of the Augusti' (Aeternitati Augustorum). The use of the double G in AVGG is grammatically significant: it explicitly references collegiate rule, indicating that Philip I was reigning jointly with his son, Philip II, who was elevated to Augustus in AD 247. The phrase asserts the enduring nature of their imperial house. Below, the formula S C (Senatus Consulto, 'by decree of the Senate') honors the ancient tradition assigning formal authority over base-metal token coinage to the Roman Senate, even though practical control remained firmly in imperial hands.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference work The Roman Imperial Coinage (Volume IV, Part III), Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham cataloged this distinct sestertius as number 167A, distinct from related issues lacking the driver or displaying standing figures. Within the overarching chronological framework of Philip I's reign (AD 244 to 249), the type is placed in the later phase of the administration. The inclusion of AVGG on the reverse serves as an essential terminus post quem, demonstrating that the type could not have been struck before the elevation of Philip II to co-emperor in the summer of AD 247. Numismatists broadly correlate this issue with the massive ceremonial distributions and public games associated with the Millennium of Rome in AD 248. The issue was produced in parallel with antoniniani bearing identical or comparable elephant reverse types, forming a unified inter-denominational propaganda campaign that lasted until the downfall of the dynasty in late AD 249.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

Sestertii of Philip I circulated extensively throughout the central and western territories of the Roman Empire, including Italy, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces. In contrast, the eastern Mediterranean provinces relied primarily on local civic bronze mints for small change. Hoard evidence from the mid-to-late third century demonstrates that sestertii of the 240s AD circulated alongside older worn issues dating back to the Antonine and Severan eras. However, the circulation life of third-century sestertii was shortened by the economic crises of the subsequent decades. By the late 250s and 260s AD, hyperinflation and the massive debasement of the antoninianus drove heavy brass denominations out of daily commercial circulation, leading many to be hoarded or melted down for their copper content. Surviving specimens of RIC IV Philip I 167A frequently exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear and characteristic dark olive or brown patinas consistent with prolonged ground deposition.

References

1. The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine. pp. 12-25
2. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 125-157
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 68-91
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Philip I 167A. Type ric.4.ph_i.167A
5. The Elephant on Roman Coins. pp. 14-38