Philip I Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Philip I 60

Monetary Context and Denominational Setting

The antoninianus, or radiate double denarius, served as the principal silver coin of the Roman Empire throughout the middle of the third century AD. Introduced under Caracalla in AD 215, briefly suspended under Severus Alexander, and restored on an immense scale under Gordian III, the denomination dominated official state payments and military disbursements by the reign of Philip I (AD 244 to 249). The coin was defined visually by the radiate crown adorning the emperor's portrait, which functioned as a mark of value indicating a double unit, though its intrinsic silver content fell well short of two full denarii. Under Philip I, silver purity hovered between roughly 40 and 45 percent fine, reflecting ongoing fiscal inflation and state pressure to expand mint output. RIC IV Philip I 60 belongs to the latter segment of Philip's reign, when coin production at Rome reached exceptionally high volumes due to major administrative subsidies, military donatives, and state festivities, including the Saeculum Novum celebrations of Rome's millenary anniversary in AD 248.

Mint Production and Workshop Organization

The production of RIC IV Philip I 60 is attributed exclusively to the imperial mint at Rome. During this era, the Rome facility operated through six recognized workshops, or officinae, which divided typological and volume responsibilities across the imperial family, dividing output among Philip I, his wife Otacilia Severa, and his son Philip II. While later and concurrent issues of the secular games frequently bore explicit workshop numerals in exergue or field, RIC IV Philip I 60 does not typically carry officina marks, instead displaying its wreath and legend cleanly across the reverse field. Production methods relied on hot striking of pre-cast billon blanks between hand-engraved iron dies. Die axes on antoniniani of this series typically conform to regular alignments, predominantly upright or inverted, with typical weight standards clustering broadly in the range of 3.5 to 4.5 grams, subject to individual flan preparation variances and metallurgical tolerance common to mid-third-century billon.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Titulature

The obverse of RIC IV Philip I 60 presents a standardized right-facing portrait of Philip I. The emperor is depicted wearing a radiate crown, which projects sharply outward around his head to signify the double denomination. The bust treatment combines drapery over a military cuirass, a presentation formula that merged imperial civic authority with the military preparedness vital to mid-third-century rulers. Philip is portrayed with characteristic realism, featuring close-cropped hair, a trimmed beard, and a sturdy, blocky facial structure indicative of mid-third-century portrait sculpture. The obverse die execution at Rome maintained high sculptural competence, rendering fine details of the cuirass folds, neck musculature, and crown ties. Variations exist across individual dies in the fullness of the drapery folds, the angle of the bust, and the prominence of the imperial features.

Reverse Typology and Symbolic Program

Unlike the vast majority of mid-third-century antoniniani, which feature personified virtues or Olympic gods standing or seated with symbolic attributes, RIC IV Philip I 60 is an aniconic, epigraphic type. The reverse field is occupied entirely by a three-line horizontal inscription reading FELICITAS IMPP, enclosed within a continuous laurel wreath that ties at the base. Laurel wreaths historically evoked military victory, civic prosperity, and divine favor, often associated with votive vows (vota) or triumphator honours. By framing the proclamation of imperial happiness within a triumphal wreath, the design presents the joint rule of the Augusti as a source of peace, fruitfulness, and divine preservation. The replacement of a figural deity such as Felicitas holding a caduceus or cornucopia with a simple text-in-wreath composition recalls republican and early imperial senatorial motifs, providing an austere, formal quality uncommon in contemporary silver.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Analysis

The inscriptional framework of RIC IV Philip I 60 encapsulates the political reality of Philip's joint principate. The obverse legend reads IMP PHILIPPVS AVG, an abbreviated form of Imperator Philippus Augustus. This abbreviated titular formula was introduced during the course of Philip's reign, replacing earlier, longer legends such as IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG on standard Rome mint coinages. The reverse text, FELICITAS IMPP, translates to 'The Felicity of the Augusti.' The doubled 'P' at the conclusion of IMPP is the formal grammatical convention denoting a plural subject, indicating two co-ruling Augusti. This epigraphic marker securely dates the conception of the reverse legend to the period following the formal elevation of Philip II from Caesar to Augustus in the summer of AD 247. The arrangement of the reverse text across three balanced lines within the wreath was carefully spaced to ensure legibility across the restricted flan size.

Chronological Placement and Typological Context

In the chronological framework established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Philip I 60 is dated to the window of AD 247 to 249. This terminus post quem is fixed by the plural IMPP legend, which requires Philip II's status as co-Augustus. The type forms an ideological parallel with concurrent issues struck in the names of Otacilia Severa and Philip II that celebrate the collective security of the imperial house. The text-in-wreath reverse was also employed on contemporary bronze issues and select aurei, highlighting a deliberate cross-denominational programmatic theme. Struck alongside the massive issues marking the Saecular Games of AD 248, RIC IV Philip I 60 was produced in the final two years of the dynasty prior to the revolt of Trajan Decius and Philip's defeat at the Battle of Verona in late AD 249.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Antoniniani of Philip I circulated widely across the European, Danubian, and Mediterranean provinces of the empire. As standard state payments, coins of this type dispersed rapidly into both frontier military zones and commercial centers. Specimens of RIC IV Philip I 60 are recorded in numerous major mid-to-late third-century coin hoards throughout Britain, Gaul, Italy, and the Balkans, often buried during the severe military upheavals and monetary debasements of the AD 250s and 260s. Because the denomination underwent drastic debasement under Valerian and Gallienus a decade later, antoniniani of Philip's standard were systematically hoarded and melted down for their superior silver content. Consequently, specimens recovered in modern archaeological contexts frequently exhibit mild to moderate circulation wear, occasionally accompanied by the edge fractures or irregular shapes typical of fast-paced mass production.

References

1. Description historique des monnaies frappees sous l'Empire Romain, Tome V. p. 99, no. 50
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage: General Introduction and Historical Commentary to Vol. IV. pp. 55-68
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Philip I 60. ric.4.ph_i.60
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. p. 74, no. 60