Philip I Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Philip I 7

Monetary Context and Denominational Setting

During the reign of Philip I (AD 244 to 249), the radiate double denarius, conventionally termed the antoninianus by modern numismatists, was the undisputed core of the Roman imperial silver currency. Originating under Caracalla in AD 215, temporarily halted, and subsequently revived by Pupienus, Balbinus, and Gordian III, the denomination effectively displaced the traditional silver denarius in daily circulation. The tariffing of the coin at two denarii contrasted sharply with its intrinsic metal content. Initially containing roughly one and a half denarii worth of fine silver, the coin's intrinsic value continued to diminish over successive decades. By AD 248, when RIC IV Philip I 7 was produced, the silver content of the imperial antoninianus hovered around forty to forty-five percent fineness, with the balance consisting of an alloy primarily composed of copper and small quantities of trace elements like tin and lead. This debasement enabled the imperial treasury to meet expanding state expenditures, including substantial military donatives, frontier subsidies, and the lavish civic celebrations accompanying the Roman Millennium, without an equivalent expansion in physical bullion reserves.

Production and Mint Organization

RIC IV Philip I 7 was produced entirely at the capital mint of Rome. Operating as a sophisticated multi-officina enterprise, the Rome mint was divided during this period into at least six numbered or lettered workshops. While later issues in the commemorative Saeculares sequence explicitly identified these workshops using Latin numerals or Greek alphabetic letters in the reverse fields or exergues, standard administrative issues dated to early AD 248 such as RIC 7 generally operated without explicit officina marks. Production relied on manual striking between engraved bronze or iron dies. Heated flans, prepared by cast blank technology or sliced from cylindrical cast rods, were struck with heavy hammer blows. Because the mint prioritized massive volume to satisfy military payrolls and public distributions, flan shapes were often slightly irregular, and die axes generally followed a vertical alignment, varying slightly between twelve and six o'clock. The Rome mint maintained tight metallurgical consistency across its working dies, even as political instability loomed across the Danubian and Eastern frontiers.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse presents a right-facing portrait of Philip I, depicted with the radiate crown that had served as the distinctive numismatic attribute of the double denomination since the early third century. Philip's bust is rendered as draped and cuirassed, visible at the truncation of the neck and chest. This combination of civic mantle and military armor projected the dual nature of imperial authority as supreme civilian magistrate and commander of the legions. Stylistically, the Rome die engravers captured Philip's mature facial features in the realistic veristic style typical of the mid-third century. Characteristic features include a broad face, heavy jawline, closely cropped hair, and a short, neatly trimmed military beard. Die variations occur primarily in the treatment of the drapery folds, the precise angle of the neck truncation, and the execution of the radiate crown's spikes, reflecting the hands of multiple contemporary engravers operating within the imperial mint.

Reverse Iconography: Mars Pacifer

The reverse of RIC IV Philip I 7 features the war god Mars standing left, outfitted in complete military panoply including a crested helmet. In his extended right hand, Mars holds an upright olive branch, while his left hand rests upon the rim of an oval or circular shield positioned on the ground line; a vertical or slightly slanted spear rests against his left arm. This specific posture is widely interpreted by numismatists as Mars Pacifer, the bringer of peace. Rather than depicting the deity in violent forward charge as Mars Victor or Mars Propugnator, the iconography emphasizes pacification through victorious arms. By grasping the olive branch, Mars signals that legitimate Roman military strength has brought an end to active conflict, restoring stability to the empire. Die cutters introduced minor compositional variations: the spear head may terminate higher or lower relative to the inscription, the shield may be rendered plain or decorated with a central boss, and the branch can vary from a leafy sprig to a stylized cluster.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The inscriptions on RIC IV Philip I 7 are concise and strictly regular, following standard imperial abbreviations. The obverse legend reads IMP PHILIPPVS AVG, unbroken around the border of dots. The title imperator (IMP) serves as a praenomen designating supreme command, followed by the emperor's cognomen and culminating in the honorary title AVGVSTVS (AVG). The reverse legend reads P M TR P V COS III P P, contracting the full imperial titular formula: Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), Tribunicia Potestate V (holding the tribunician power for the fifth time), Consul III (consul for the third time), and Pater Patriae (father of the country). The epigraphy is clear and classical, executed in bold capital letters without punctuation marks between words, fitting neatly within the narrow circular margins framing the divine image.

Typology and Chronological Placement

In the standard classification of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Philip I 7 occupies a distinct position among Philip's dated imperial issues from Rome. Philip ascended the throne in early AD 244, renewing his tribunician power annually. The designation TR P V, corresponding to his fifth tribunician renewal, combined with COS III, aligns precisely with the calendar year AD 248. Philip entered his third consulship alongside his young son Philip II on January 1, AD 248. Consequently, this type can be securely dated to that single administrative year. It immediately preceded or coincided with the massive production of the celebrated Saeculares millenary series, which commemorated Rome's one-thousandth anniversary in April AD 248. While the millenary coinage carried special legends referencing the millennium and depicted wild animals or the goddess Roma, RIC 7 represents the continuation of standard imperial administrative messaging alongside the festive anniversary issues.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Antoninianii of this series circulated widely across the European, Danubian, and Mediterranean provinces of the empire. Evidence from mid-third-century coin hoards, including major British deposits such as the Dorchester and Cunetio hoards, confirms that Philip's Rome-minted billon antoninianii experienced extensive commercial use and were often hoarded in significant quantities alongside issues of Gordian III, Decius, and Trebonianus Gallus. Wear patterns recorded on recovered specimens vary from uncirculated pieces buried shortly after striking to moderately worn examples that remained in active circulation through the monetary crisis of the AD 260s. Although subsequent emperors such as Valerian and Gallienus reduced the silver content of the antoninianus far below twenty percent, Philip's issues, maintaining roughly forty percent silver, were gradually driven out of regular circulation or targeted for melting and re-coining by the late third century under the principle of Gresham's Law.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. pp. 112-145
2. Metrological Tables and Analyses of Ancient Roman Silver Coins. pp. 88-104
3. A Catalogue of the Roman Coins in the British Museum. Philip I (Rome Mint)
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Philip I 7. ric.4.ph_i.7
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. p. 69, no. 7