Septimius Severus Bronze Sestertius RIC IV Septimius Severus 673a

Monetary Context and Denominational System

During the late second century AD, the Roman currency system remained anchored to the monetary framework instituted by Augustus, wherein the sestertius served as the principal large copper-alloy denomination. Valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius represented significant domestic purchasing power and was widely utilized in everyday commerce, commercial accounting, and state distributions. Under the early reign of Septimius Severus, state finances faced immense pressure generated by extensive military mobilization across the Mediterranean basin. While the precious metal currency, especially the denarius, underwent debasement to finance troop donatives and military salaries, the base-metal sestertius continued to be struck on traditional brass standards. Because of its large physical flan and broad public circulation throughout Italy and the western provinces, the denomination functioned as an indispensable medium for imperial propaganda, communicating imperial virtues and ideological stability to a civil society disrupted by recent civil conflict.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

RIC IV Septimius Severus 673a was produced exclusively by the imperial mint at Rome, which maintained dedicated facilities for senatorial bronze coinage alongside the precious-metal operations. Sestertii of this horizon were manufactured from orichalcum, a copper-zinc alloy that provided a bright, golden appearance distinct from pure copper issues such as the as. Standard physical characteristics of contemporary Severan sestertii typically show flan diameters ranging approximately between 28 and 32 millimeters, with target weights generally clustering near 20 to 25 grams, though individual specimens exhibit noticeable variance owing to batch-al-marco blank casting techniques. Die preparation was executed by seasoned engravers who retained high artistic standards despite civil disruption, employing hand-cut steel dies operated by teams of striking mint-workers. The inclusion of the traditional letters S C on the reverse reflects the constitutional protocol of Senatus Consulto, formally preserving the Senate's ancient administrative oversight of base-metal issues.

Obverse Design and Iconography

The obverse features a right-facing portrait bust of Septimius Severus depicted in classical style. The emperor is shown bare-necked with a mature, neatly curled beard and a prominent laurel wreath tied behind the head, projecting austere dignitas and senior administrative capability. Early Severan portraiture at Rome consciously echoed the visual tropes of the Antonine dynasty, particularly Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius, to project dynastic continuity and counter perceptions of military usurpation. The rendering of the facial features captures the emperor's distinct physical characteristics, including thick hair and deep-set eyes, while maintaining imperial decorum. The portrait is encircled by a well-spaced peripheral legend that frames the head, terminating just behind the truncation of the neck.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography centers on Virtus, the divine personification of military courage, valor, and ethical fortitude. Virtus is portrayed standing facing left, dressed in classical drapery and wearing an Amazonian-style helmet. In her extended right hand, she supports a small statuette of winged Victory, who in turn offers a wreath, while in her left hand Virtus holds an upright, grounded spear. This visual synthesis directly united the concept of innate martial virtue with imminent divine success in the ongoing civil confrontations. The letters S and C flank the figure within the field, marking senatorial approval. In the context of 194 AD, as Severus campaigned against Pescennius Niger in the East, celebrating imperial Virtus served to reassure the Roman populace and aristocracy that the ruler possessed the necessary moral and military stamina to restore peace to the empire.

Epigraphic Legends and Imperial Titulature

The epigraphy of RIC IV Septimius Severus 673a provides an exact epigraphic window into imperial titulature during the second year of the reign. The obverse inscription reads L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP III, expanding to Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax Augustus, Imperator III. The inclusion of PERT emphasizes Severus's self-proclaimed status as the legitimate avenger and political heir of the revered emperor Pertinax, who had been murdered by the Praetorian Guard in 193 AD. The title IMP III signals his third acclaimed imperial victory, awarded in early 194 AD following victories over the forces of Niger in Asia Minor. The reverse legend reads VIRT AVG TR P II COS II P P S C, representing Virtus Augusti, Tribunicia Potestate II, Consul II, Pater Patriae, Senatus Consulto. The recording of his second tribunician power (TR P II) and second consulship (COS II) securely anchors the striking to 194 AD, while P P proclaims him father of the country under constitutional precedent.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage, type 673a is classified under the senatorial bronze struck at Rome during the second tribunician year of Septimius Severus. This specific type is differentiated from related variants primarily through the obverse legend formula concluding in IMP III and the right-facing laureate portrait. Neighboring issues struck earlier in the same year carry IMP II, while later issues reflect higher acclamation numbers such as IMP IIII or IMP V as battle reports arrived from the East. The reverse type of Virtus standing with Victory and spear was shared with contemporaneous denarii and aurei, highlighting a cohesive thematic program orchestrated across all metals at the capital mint. Type 673a represents the standard sestertius variety of this design before stylistic shifts and updated titulature were introduced later in 194 and 195 AD.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Lifespan

Upon production at Rome, sestertii of type 673a entered active commercial circulation primarily within the Italian peninsula and the western provinces, including Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and Britannia, where base-metal brass coins were heavily utilized for routine military and urban market transactions. Because large bronze denominations circulated over prolonged intervals of several decades, surviving specimens frequently show considerable mechanical wear, contact marks, and distinctive green or brown patinas consistent with long soil immersion. Hoard evidence from the third century demonstrates that early Severan sestertii remained in use well into the reigns of Severus Alexander and the Barracks Emperors, remaining functional tokens of domestic currency until the severe economic and inflationary crises of the mid-third century caused the systematic collapse of the traditional orichalcum denominational system.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 124-126
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 673a. ric.4.ss.673a
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 180, no. 673a