Philip I Bronze Sestertius, RIC IV Philip I 164

Monetary Context of the Millennial Coinage

During the mid-third century AD, the monetary system of the Roman Empire experienced severe administrative strain and accelerating inflation. The silver antoninianus or double denarius had rapidly overtaken the traditional denarius as the principal silver denomination, while simultaneously suffering from persistent debasement of its fineness. In contrast, large base-metal denominations, led by the orichalcum and bronze sestertius, still occupied an essential role in daily civic transactions and state ceremonial payments. The millennium of Rome in 248 AD presented Emperor Philip I with a vital political opportunity to assert legitimacy and foster public cohesion. Marking one thousand years since the traditional foundation of the city by Romulus in 753 BC, the Saecular Games (Ludi Saeculares) required an enormous outpouring of coinage. Philip coordinated an extensive multi-metal propaganda campaign across aurei, antoniniani, sestertii, and middle bronzes. Within this context, the sestertius catalogued as RIC IV Philip I 164 was struck as an imposing base-metal expression of the jubilee. The sestertius retained a broad flan that offered Roman die-engravers an ideal surface for complex compositional art, conveying imperial stability to the population of the capital and wider Italian markets.

Production Techniques and Mint Attribution

The production of RIC IV Philip I 164 is universally attributed to the primary imperial mint at Rome, which held exclusive authority over the monumental urban commemorative bronze series of the 248 AD jubilee. Philip's administration employed an organized mint structure organized into officinae, which divided production quotas among the emperor, his empress Otacilia Severa, and his young son and co-emperor Philip II. Although silver antoniniani of the millennial issue frequently employed officina numerals in Greek or Latin, the bronze sestertii typically omitted numeric workshop indicators, instead bearing the traditional senatorial mark S C. Production of these sestertii involved casting thick flans of mixed copper alloy or orichalcum, followed by rigorous hot striking between engraved bronze or iron dies. Weight standards for the sestertius in the late 240s AD generally fluctuated between 16 and 22 grams, with diameters averaging approximately 28 to 31 millimeters. The architectural reverse design of RIC IV Philip I 164 demanded intricate die cutting, requiring precise alignment of eight distinct frontal columns and the careful rendering of a miniature cult statue within the intercolumniation, reflecting the highest tier of craftsmanship available at the capital workshop.

Obverse Portraiture and Regal Iconography

The obverse of the coin features a right-facing bust of Emperor Philip I, rendered in the classic militaristic style of mid-third-century imperial portraiture. Philip is depicted with close-cropped hair and a neat, short beard, characteristic of the soldier-emperors who emerged from the Danubian and eastern commands. The imperial head is adorned with the laurel wreath, the ancient symbol of victory and civil authority, tied at the back with flowing ribbon ties. Below the head, the bust combines drapery and military cuirass (paludamentum over armor), conveying both executive civil leadership and supreme military command. The die engraving exhibits strong naturalism, emphasizing Philip's robust facial structure, prominent brow, and firm jawline. The portrait is framed by an unbroken peripheral legend, carefully proportioned to balance the substantial bust without crowding the raised beaded border.

Reverse Iconography: The Octastyle Temple

The reverse design of RIC IV Philip I 164 departs from the famed animal motifs of the Saeculares series to feature a grand architectural monument: an octastyle temple shown in frontal perspective. Eight vertical columns support an elaborate entablature topped by a triangular pediment, decorated with sculpted relief work. Within the central columns, open to view, sits an enthroned statue of the goddess Roma, typically depicted holding a spear or sceptre and a statue of Victory (Victoriola) or a globe, signifying universal dominion. Numismatists and architectural historians widely identify this structure as the Templum Urbis Romae, forming part of the massive double Temple of Venus and Roma originally dedicated under Hadrian and restored following fire damage by Maxentius in later decades. The representation served as an immediate symbol of the eternal city and the religious foundations of the Roman state. Flanking the temple steps and base, the senatorial formula S C appears, while the upper perimeter carries the celebratory proclamation of the secular games.

Epigraphic Analysis and Titulature

The inscriptions on RIC IV Philip I 164 follow standard imperial epigraphic formulae while integrating the special commemorative language of 248 AD. The obverse legend reads IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, expanding to Imperator Marcus Iulius Philippus Augustus. This concise titulature proclaims his supreme military command through the initial title Imperator, confirms his formal tria nomina of the Julian gens, and concludes with Augustus, the fundamental title of sovereign authority. The reverse inscription is SAECVLARES AVGG, paired with S C in the field or exergue. The phrase Saeculares Augustorum denotes the Secular Games of the Augusti, celebrating the joint reign of Philip I and his young son Philip II, who had been elevated to co-Augustus in 247 AD. The presence of S C, expanding to Senatus Consulto (by decree of the Senate), preserves the constitutional fiction governing base-metal coinage, signifying the formal senatorial authorization of bronze issues struck in the capital.

Typology and Chronological Classification

RIC IV Philip I 164 belongs strictly to the special festival issues struck in 248 AD during the celebration of Rome's one-thousandth year. Within the comprehensive typological framework established by Harold Mattingly, Edward A. Sydenham, and C. H. V. Sutherland in The Roman Imperial Coinage, the Saeculares coinage forms a distinct thematic group. While antoniniani and some bronzes depict the exotic beasts exhibited and slaughtered in the Colosseum, such as lions, stags, antelopes, and elephants, a second subset of types focused on religious and architectural monuments. Type 164 is specifically distinguished from adjacent issues by its denomination as a sestertius, its octastyle temple façade with seated Roma, and its obverse bust of Philip I facing right with laureate, draped, and cuirassed attire. Related variants within the broader series include middle bronzes (dupondii and asses) sharing similar temple reverses, as well as distinct sestertius varieties depicting a cippus (inscribed column) or altars. RIC IV Philip I 164 represents the primary monumental sestertius type featuring the temple for the senior Augustus.

Circulation Patterns, Hoards, and Survival

As a high-value base-metal denomination, the sestertius of Philip I circulated widely across the central and western provinces of the Roman Empire, although primary concentrations remained in Italy and the militarized northern frontiers along the Rhine and Danube. By the late 240s AD, older sestertii from the Antonine and Severan dynasties were heavily worn, making fresh issues of Philip I essential for local commerce and market exchanges. Sestertii of the Saeculares series are regularly identified in third-century hoard contexts across Roman Britain, Gaul, and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in stray finds from urban settlements throughout Roman Italy. Due to its large size and distinct historical subject matter, type 164 was also susceptible to prolonged circulation, frequently surviving in fine to very fine condition with notable surface wear on the high points of the temple columns and portrait. The survival rate of this specific architectural type is moderate, representing an essential numismatic record of the public imagery deployed to celebrate Rome's thousandth year before the political turbulence that followed Philip's downfall in 249 AD.

References

1. The Coinage of the Viminacium and Antioch Mints of Philip I. NC 172, pp. 65-94
2. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. pp. 118-121
3. The Millennium of Rome: The Saecular Games of A.D. 248. JRS 36, pp. 110-120
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Philip I 164. ric.4.ph_i.164
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 89, no. 164