Pupienus Bronze Sestertius RIC IV Pupienus 22A

Monetary and Political Context in AD 238

The monetary output of the Roman Empire underwent severe organizational and political stress during AD 238, traditionally designated the Year of the Six Emperors. Following the sudden revolt in Africa Proconsularis and the subsequent deaths of Gordian I and Gordian II at Carthage, the Roman Senate openly rebelled against the reigning emperor, Maximinus Thrax. In an unprecedented move, the Senate elected two senior senators from its own ranks, Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus and Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus, to rule as co-Augusti of equal rank. Pupienus, an experienced military commander and former urban prefect, was entrusted with leading the armed defense of Italy against Maximinus, while Balbinus managed civil administration and supply logistics in Rome. The strike of the sestertius RIC IV Pupienus 22A fulfilled both practical fiscal requirements and essential civic propaganda. Despite severe debasement affecting the silver antoninianus and denarius during this era, the bronze sestertius retained substantial purchasing power and widespread visibility within the domestic economy. As the largest base-metal coin in routine daily use, it served as an ideal platform for the newly elevated senatorial rulers to project constitutional legitimacy, announce their senatorial backing, and attempt to calm civil panic amid troop movements and urban unrest.

Mint Organization and Production Standards

Production of RIC IV Pupienus 22A was concentrated exclusively at the imperial mint of Rome. Operating under intense logistical pressure, the Rome officinae had to produce an enormous volume of coinage in gold, silver, and aes within a span of approximately ninety-nine days. Numismatic die analyses of the joint reign reveal that the mint divided its resources between Pupienus and Balbinus, while also striking subsidiary coinages for the youthful Gordian III, who had been created Caesar to placate the Roman populace. Like other sestertii of the early third century, specimens of RIC IV Pupienus 22A were struck on cast flans made of copper alloy, traditionally referred to as orichalcum or bronze. The target weight standard for the sestertius had declined modestly from the early Severan era, averaging between 18.0 and 24.0 grams, with typical diameters ranging from 28 to 32 millimeters. Die alignment varied considerably, reflecting the speed of striking required to distribute fresh money to legionaries, urban cohorts, and grain suppliers. Because base-metal coin dies wore out quickly under heavy hammer strikes, multiple obverse and reverse dies were executed by the mint engravers, exhibiting minor stylistic variations in portrait modeling and letter forms.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Image

The obverse of RIC IV Pupienus 22A features a right-facing bust of Pupienus that is laureate, draped, and cuirassed. Unlike the idealized, dynastic portraiture that characterized earlier dynasties, the portraits of Pupienus and Balbinus are famous for their veristic and severe realism. Mint die-cutters emphasized the advanced age and gravitas of Pupienus, depicting him with a broad skull, heavy jawline, furrowed brow, and cropped, close-trimmed beard and hair in the soldierly fashion of the Illyrian frontier commanders. The combination of military cuirass and paludamentum (military cloak) symbolized Pupienus's supreme command of the armed forces marching north toward Aquileia to confront Maximinus Thrax. The laurel wreath remained the timeless Roman emblem of imperium and victory, serving as a reminder that the senatorial choice of princeps stood equal to any commander elevated by provincial legions. While Balbinus was commonly depicted with a somewhat rounder, civilian countenance, Pupienus was systematically portrayed as the stern, uncompromising guardian of the Republic.

Reverse Design: The Iconography of Public Peace

The reverse of RIC IV Pupienus 22A depicts Pax, the personification of peace, draped in long robes and seated facing left upon a backless throne. In her outstretched right hand, she extends an olive branch, the universally recognized Greco-Roman symbol of concord and the termination of hostilities. In her left hand, she holds a long, upright sceptre, an attribute signifying legitimate divine and civil authority. In the context of the crisis of AD 238, the image of Pax Seated carried poignant political significance. Rome was engulfed by internal rioting between the plebeians, the Praetorian Guard, and armed gladiators under senatorial direction, while the formidable Danubian legions of Maximinus were advancing into northern Italy. By invoking Pax Publica, the administration of Pupienus and Balbinus sought to reassure citizens that the elimination of tyrannical oppression would usher in internal stability and communal safety. The seated posture of the goddess emphasized settled tranquility and durable equilibrium, contrasting with the active, walking depictions of Pax seen on urgent military issues.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The obverse legend on RIC IV Pupienus 22A reads continuously along the perimeter: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG. This expands epigraphically to 'Imperator Caesar Marcus Clodius Pupienus Augustus'. The formula follows standard imperial protocol, asserting the full imperial titulature conferred by the Senate upon Pupienus's accession. The brevity of the reign precluded any dated tribunician or consular citations on this regular bronze series, leaving the timeless imperial titles intact. The reverse legend reads PAX PVBLICA, translating as 'Public Peace' or 'Peace of the Roman People'. Flanking the seated figure of Pax in the left and right fields are the large letters S C, abbreviating 'Senatus Consulto' ('by decree of the Senate'). In the third century, while base-metal coin production was overseen directly by imperial mint officials, the S C formula was faithfully preserved on sestertii and dupondii as an indispensable symbol of traditional senatorial oversight. During the joint reign of two senator-emperors, the presence of S C carried renewed constitutional vitality, advertising that the coinage was sanctioned by the restored governing council of Rome.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within modern numismatic classification, RIC IV Pupienus 22A is defined specifically by its reverse type of Pax seated left paired with the laureate, draped, and cuirassed obverse bust of Pupienus. In the primary catalogue of Roman Imperial Coinage, type 22 encompasses the Pax Publica reverse, with suffix letters or sub-entries noting variations in the imperial drapery and armor. RIC IV Pupienus 22A designates the complete military bust treatment, whereas other minor varieties in earlier literature may describe variations in drapery over the shoulder. Chronologically, this issue belongs strictly to the brief period between approximately April and July of AD 238. Production likely commenced shortly after Pupienus and Balbinus secured power in Rome and continued until their violent assassination by the Praetorian Guard, who resented emperors appointed by the Senate. Parallel issues with identical reverse types and legends were struck in the name of Balbinus (such as RIC IV Balbinus 22), illustrating the deliberate collegiality of their monetary program. Because the entire reign spanned less than four months, there was no phased stylistic evolution of the type; all extant dies reflect a unified, highly compressed production phase.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Despite the extreme brevity of Pupienus's reign, sestertii of RIC IV Pupienus 22A saw prompt integration into the monetary circuits of the central and western Mediterranean. Sestertii of AD 238 entered hoards throughout Italy, Gaul, Britain, and the Danubian provinces alongside earlier Severan bronze coins. Because bronze sestertii possessed intrinsic value as token currency backed by imperial fiscal machinery, they remained in active circulation for decades, often circulating alongside the issues of Gordian III, Philip the Arab, and Trajan Decius. Surviving specimens frequently exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear consistent with long-term commercial exchange before final deposition in mid-third-century hoards. The rapid termination of the reign prevented massive cumulative mintage figures, making genuine specimens of Pupienus sestertii noticeably scarcer than those of long-reigning Severan emperors or subsequent mid-third-century rulers. Nevertheless, the substantial initial output undertaken to secure civil loyalty ensures that RIC IV Pupienus 22A is well documented across institutional collections and modern typological corpora.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume VI: Severus Alexander to Balbinus and Pupienus. pp. 101-105
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Pupienus 22A. Type record ric.4.pup.22A
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 176, no. 22A
4. Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III: The Third Century Crisis and Recovery, A.D. 235-285. pp. 64-67, no. 8533