Septimius Severus Aureus: RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus)

Monetary Context and Economic Function

During the reign of Septimius Severus (AD 193 to AD 211), the Roman monetary system underwent significant institutional and structural pressures. While the principal silver denomination, the denarius, suffered substantial debasement with its fineness reduced to roughly fifty percent to fund extensive military pay raises, donatives, and administrative expansion, the gold aureus remained remarkably protected from severe intrinsic degradation. Severan aurei were generally struck at an average theoretical standard of approximately 45 to the Roman pound (libra), yielding nominal weights centering near 7.2 to 7.3 grams of exceptionally fine gold, continuing the standard maintained since the late Antonine era. The aureus catalogued as RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) functioned as the premier denomination of this bimetallic and trimetallic currency framework. Rather than participating in everyday retail exchange, gold coinages of this nature served large-scale economic operations, inter-provincial balance settlements, imperial tax payments, and institutional donatives (donativa) granted directly to legionaries and the Praetorian Guard. Striking this Victory type in fine gold visibly linked the soldiers' material remuneration with the supernatural favor and military fortunes of the Severan dynasty.

Production Technology and Mint Attribution

The issue RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) is securely assigned by modern numismatic consensus to the imperial mint at Rome. Although eastern branch mints such as Laodicea ad Mare and Alexandria were active during the civil wars and early Parthian campaigns of Severus's reign, the vast majority of gold production had consolidated back at the principal urban mint of Rome by AD 202 following the imperial family's return to the capital. Striking was executed by hand using matched sets of engraved bronze or iron dies. The obverse dies exhibit the high relief and characteristic plastic treatment of the central Rome officinae, marked by deep curls in the beard and hair, clean lettering, and balanced proportions. The reverse dies display dynamic composition in rendering the horses of the biga in full stride, requiring skilled master die-cutters to maintain clarity across the miniature field. Blanks (flans) were carefully cast, weighed individually to prevent loss of precious metal, and heated prior to striking between the lower anvil die and upper punch die. Die alignment for the Rome mint in this period typically followed a regular upright or inverted axis (often 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock), reflective of standardized administrative control within the workshop.

Obverse Typology and Imperial Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) features the laureate head of Septimius Severus facing right. The imperial portrait conforms to the third major portrait group identified in Severan iconography, often termed the Serapis or mature Antonine adoption type. In this rendering, Severus is portrayed with corkscrew curls framing the forehead, a bifurcated or deeply drilled long beard imitating the stylistic attributes of the Egyptian deity Serapis, and a prominent laurel wreath tied at the occiput with hanging ribbons (taeniae). This mature visual formula sought to establish both charismatic divine protection and symbolic continuity with the respected Antonine dynasty, specifically Marcus Aurelius, whom Severus claimed as his adoptive father in AD 195. The truncated neck terminates cleanly without drapery or cuirass, focusing full attention on the stern, composed countenance of the emperor as sovereign imperator and supreme magistrate.

Reverse Iconography: Victory in Biga

The reverse design of the coin portrays the winged goddess Victory (Victoria) standing upright in a two-horse chariot (biga), driving the team in a rapid gallop toward the right. Victoria is depicted fully draped in a light, billowing stola that conveys motion through fluttering folds, her wings spread behind her shoulders as she holds the reins firmly in both hands to guide the speeding horses. The motif of Victory in a biga has deep roots in Roman Republican and early imperial coin design, where it traditionally symbolized the state's military triumph through the agency of divine providence. In the context of the Severan principate, this dynamic image was adapted to celebrate the victorious campaigns in the East against the Parthian Empire and the subsequent pacification of rebellious frontier zones. The gallop of the biga communicates swiftness, unstoppable momentum, and the triumphant return of peace won through armed vigilance, reassuring the Roman world of the sovereign power protecting its borders.

Epigraphy and Epigraphic Analysis

The legends on RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) are engraved in clear Roman capitals, encircling the devices along the interior beaded borders. The obverse legend reads SEVERVS PIVS AVG, representing the condensed nomenclature adopted by the emperor from AD 201 onward. The cognomen Severus identifies the ruler, while Pius reflects his official accession to Antonine religious and familial virtues, commemorating his proclaimed filial piety toward the deified Antonines. The abbreviation AVG designates his supreme status as Augustus. This brief legend replaced the earlier, more expansive titular strings that enumerated tribunician powers, consulships, and specific victory titles such as Parthicus Maximus. On the reverse, the inscription reads VICTORIAE AVGG, rendered in the dative or genitive case ('To the Victory of the Augusti' or 'The Victory of the Augusti'). The doubled 'G' in AVGG is a standard epigraphic device indicating a plural subject, explicitly sharing the credit for the empire's military accomplishments between Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla, who had been elevated to co-Augustus in AD 198. The legend thus served as explicit dynastic propaganda, emphasizing unity and shared imperial fortune between the co-rulers.

Chronological Framework and Typological Relationships

RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) is dated to the chronological window between AD 202 and AD 210 based on the introduction of the obverse legend SEVERVS PIVS AVG and the plural reverse legend VICTORIAE AVGG. The year AD 202 marked the return of the imperial family to Rome, the celebration of Severus's decennalia (tenth anniversary of reign), his third consulship, and the lavish distribution of imperial largesse. The formulation VICTORIAE AVGG with Victory in biga appears across contemporary gold and silver issues, sharing obverse dies and portrait styles with related aurei bearing reverse types such as the seated Roma, the imperial family portraits, and the Parthian triumphal monuments. Because the legend omits dated magistracies such as tribunicia potestas or numbered consulships, the type cannot be pinpointed to a single calendar month or year, but rather spans the sustained middle period of the joint rule of Severus and Caracalla prior to the elevation of Geta to the rank of Augustus in AD 209 or the conclusion of the British campaigns in AD 210 and 211.

Circulation Patterns, Hoarding, and Survival

Due to their intrinsic worth, gold aurei circulated in distinct patterns compared to base-metal bronze and billon denarii. Aurei of the Severan period were infrequently lost in domestic or marketplace environments, instead appearing primarily in large military deposits, high-value hoards hidden during times of civil crisis, or bullion reserves along the frontiers and provincial administrative hubs. When aurei of this series entered commercial channels, they suffered minimal mechanical wear because they were stored carefully in pouches, coffers, or treasury vaults. Many specimens survived through intentional concealment during the turbulent decades of the third-century crisis, when later debasements of the coinage prompted individuals to hoard older, higher-weight gold. In regions beyond the imperial limes, particularly in Free Germany and eastern border zones, Roman aurei of this era were frequently acquired through diplomatic subsidies, allied payments, or trade, where they were occasionally mounted as jewelry or melted down for indigenous metalworking. Surviving specimens of RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus) are preserved in modern national collections and numismatic cabinets, providing indispensable evidence for Severan gold artistry and administrative output.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 222-223
2. The Roman Aurei, Volume I and II. no. 2568
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 129, no. 299
4. RIC IV Septimius Severus 299 (aureus). RIC IV Septimius Severus 299