Septimius Severus Bronze Dupondius RIC IV Septimius Severus 674

Monetary Context and Denominational System

In the monetary system of the early Roman Empire established by Augustus and largely maintained through the late second century AD, the dupondius functioned as an essential intermediate copper-alloy denomination. Valued at two asses, eight dupondii constituted one silver denarius, while two dupondii equaled one large sestertius. Historically minted in orichalcum, a golden-hued zinc-copper alloy known as brass, the dupondius had long been differentiated from the pure copper as by both alloy color and the specific iconographic feature of the radiate crown worn by the emperor. By the accession of Septimius Severus in 193 AD and the production of this issue in 194 AD, the metallurgical distinction between the orichalcum dupondius and the copper as had diminished due to changing workshop practices and the frequent remelting of older base-metal flans. As a consequence, the radiate crown on RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 remained the decisive numismatic marker establishing its double-as value in commerce. The production of base metal denominations under Septimius Severus was relatively constrained compared to the vast output of silver denarii required to pay legionary salaries and secure military allegiance. Nevertheless, dupondii and sestertii provided the essential small change for regional markets across Italy and western provinces, functioning alongside circulating older issues from the Antonine and Flavian periods.

Mint Organization and Production Techniques

RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 was manufactured exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. During the civil wars of 193 to 197 AD, while eastern branch mints at Alexandria, Antioch, and Laodicea ad Mare focused almost exclusively on silver coinage to finance campaigns against Pescennius Niger and Parthian adversaries, the production of aes coinage, including sestertii, dupondii, and asses, remained centralized at the capital under senatorial oversight. Roman mint workers, or monetarii, operated under the supervision of the imperial procurator monetae. Blanks for dupondii were prepared by casting circular flans in composite moulds or cutting them from cast strips, which were then adjusted in weight prior to striking. Striking was performed manually by placing a heated flan between a stationary lower die embedded in an anvil, which bore the obverse imperial portrait, and an upper punch die carrying the reverse design of Virtus. The mechanical pressure generated by the strike forced the metal into the engraved recesses, producing distinct relief details. While the theoretical target weight for a dupondius in the late Antonine and early Severan periods hovered around 11 to 14 grams with diameters typically ranging between 24 and 26 millimeters, individual specimens routinely exhibited noticeable variations due to the speed of manual striking and batch-alloying variations common to Roman bronze foundries.

Obverse Portraiture and Style

The obverse of RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 presents the radiate head of Septimius Severus facing right. The radiant crown, consisting of pointed solar rays projecting outward around the emperor's head, serves the functional purpose of identifying the coin as a dupondius while simultaneously drawing upon solar symbolism that increasingly entered imperial portraiture during the late second century AD. Engravers at the Rome mint rendered Severus with carefully delineated personal features, capturing his characteristic bifurcated or curly beard, strong jawline, and compact facial structure, reflecting the transition away from the smooth Antonine idealization toward a more vigorous, martial depiction. The portrait embodies the severe, determined expression suitable for a general who had taken power through force and was actively campaigning to eliminate rival claimants. Severus is shown bare-necked below the truncation of the head, focusing visual attention on the radiate crown and the closely curled hair rendered in deep relief. The portrait is framed neatly within an unbroken border of dots, inside which the obverse legend is disposed in a circular clockwise arrangement. Variations in die execution show subtle shifts in the angle of the head and the height of the solar spikes, reflecting the output of multiple individual die-cutters working concurrently within the Rome officinae.

Reverse Iconography: Virtus Augusti

The reverse design of this dupondius depicts Virtus standing toward the left, personifying the courage, vigor, and military prowess of the emperor. Virtus is portrayed in full martial attire, wearing a crested helmet and draped in a short tunic and military cloak, representing an Amazonian warrior figure that was a staple of Roman allegorical iconography. In her extended right hand, Virtus cradles a small winged Victory, who offers a wreath or palm, embodying the successful culmination of military valor. In her left hand, Virtus holds a grounded spear or transverse lance, resting her arm comfortably against the weapon to emphasize both readiness and steadfast confidence. Across the field, flanking the lower body of Virtus, appear the large letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. The inclusion of Virtus Augusti held intense political relevance in 194 AD. With civil war raging in the eastern provinces against Pescennius Niger, the imperial administration utilized the reverse type to convince the Roman public and senate of the emperor's innate martial capacity and impending triumph. Rather than portraying an individualized battlefield scene, the personification generalized the virtue into an enduring imperial attribute, assuring the populace that the Pax Romana would be preserved and restored through divine courage and military triumph.

Epigraphic Analysis and Titulature

The legends on RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 provide precise chronological markers and critical political declarations. The obverse legend reads L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP III, translating to Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax Augustus, Imperator for the third time. The adoption of the cognomen Pertinax, assumed early in 193 AD, formally linked Severus to the revered memory of the murdered emperor Pertinax, framing Severus's march on Rome as an act of pious avenging rather than a usurpation. The title IMP III signifies Severus's third acclamation as imperator by the troops, achieved through military victories in the East against the forces of Pescennius Niger early in 194 AD. The reverse inscription reads VIRT AVG TR P II COS II P P S C. The opening phrase VIRT AVG abbreviates Virtus Augusti, the valor of the emperor. This is followed by the imperial offices: TR P II designates Severus's second tenure of tribunician power, which commenced in late 193 AD and ran through 194 AD; COS II indicates his second consulship, which he held in 194 AD alongside Decimus Clodius Albinus; and P P designates Pater Patriae, Father of the Country, an honorific accepted early in his reign. The letters S C, positioned in the lower reverse field, assert that the coin was struck by decree of the Roman Senate, preserving the traditional constitutional division between precious-metal imperial coinage and bronze senatorial issues.

Typology and Chronological Classification

RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 occupies a specific, narrow position within the Severan corpus compiled by Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage. The combination of IMP III on the obverse with TR P II and COS II on the reverse restricts its production firmly to 194 AD, prior to Severus receiving his fourth acclamation later that same year following the definitive defeat of Pescennius Niger at Issus. The Rome mint struck parallel types in bronze across different denominations using related reverse themes, including sestertii with identical Virtus designs, but RIC IV 674 is defined precisely by its status as a radiate dupondius. In earlier numismatic scholarship, base-metal pieces of this period were occasionally conflated with copper asses of identical reverse types, but modern numismatic taxonomy clearly isolates the radiate head as the definitive typological boundary for the dupondius. Within the sub-varieties of this specific type, slight variances exist in die cutting, such as the exact placement of the S C letters relative to the drapery of Virtus or the spacing of the obverse letter forms. However, the core epigraphic formula and iconic attributes remain tightly uniform, confirming an organized, coordinated issue struck over a period of only a few months during the campaigning season of 194 AD.

Circulation and Monetary Life

Following production at the Rome mint, dupondii of RIC IV Septimius Severus 674 entered an economy marked by monetary turbulence and inflation. While newly minted silver was shipped directly to military frontiers to secure legionary support, bronze coinage typically circulated within central Italy and spread via commercial trade into the western provinces, including Gaul, Hispania, and Britannia. Dupondii were workhorse coins used for daily expenses, such as the purchase of grain, wine, oil, bathhouse entry fees, and modest artisanal services. Because bronze coins suffered prolonged use without being frequently melted down by private citizens, examples of RIC IV 674 often circulated for decades, remaining in active commerce well into the third century AD alongside worn Antonine bronze issues. Archaeological hoard evidence from the western empire reveals that early Severan dupondii rarely formed isolated hoards; rather, they are typically found in mixed-denomination aes deposits or lost individually as stray finds in urban excavations, market quarters, and rural settlements. Over their circulating lifespan, these base-metal coins experienced heavy abrasive wear, surface patination, and occasional corrosion, resulting in coins that survive in diverse physical states depending on soil chemistry and local post-depositional environments.

References

1. I grandi bronzi imperiali: Volume IV-1 (Settimio Severo). p. 192
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. p. 128
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 183, no. 674
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 674. ric.4.ss.674