Julia Domna Silver Denarius, RIC IV Septimius Severus 575 (denarius)

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

Under the rule of Septimius Severus, the Roman monetary system underwent notable structural adjustments, continuing the long-term trends of debasement that had progressed intermittently since the Flavian and Antonine eras. Following the civil wars of AD 193 to 197 against Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, the emperor stabilized state finances in part by reducing the fineness of the silver denarius to approximately fifty to fifty-five percent silver, a standard substantially lower than the Antonine silver benchmark. Despite this reduction in intrinsic precious-metal content, the denarius remained the undisputed core of daily transactions, military pay, and interprovincial trade across the Mediterranean world. Dynastic representation was paramount to the Severan regime, which sought to establish hereditary legitimacy through visual and ideological integration of the imperial family. Coinage struck in the name of Julia Domna, who received the title of Augusta in AD 193, formed an essential arm of this state messaging. Rather than merely commemorating political anniversaries or military victories, her coins addressed traditional social, familial, and religious values. The issuance of denarii dedicated to Pudicitia provided an ideological counterweight to the martial imagery of Septimius Severus and his sons, Caracalla and Geta, grounding the imperial house in revered Roman domestic virtues.

Mint Production and Technical Execution

The production of RIC IV Septimius Severus 575 is securely assigned to the principal imperial mint located in Rome. While early Severan coinage for Julia Domna was also struck at eastern military mints such as Laodicea ad Mare and Alexandria during the civil war campaigns, this specific reverse type with seated Pudicitia bearing the legend PVDICITIA and the obverse legend IVLIA AVGVSTA was primarily executed by the experienced die-engravers of the capital. The technical execution of the Rome mint in this period is recognized by its refined, proportional portraiture, coherent lettering, and circular die layouts. Flans were prepared through cast silver blanks that were manually struck between hardened bronze or iron dies. The average weight of contemporary denarii produced at Rome falls within a typical range of 3.10 to 3.35 grams, with diameters usually measuring between 18 and 20 millimetres, though individual struck specimens display typical ancient deviations due to hand-hammering and variations in blank preparation. The die axis for Severan Rome denarii is frequently regular, typically oriented at either six or twelve o'clock, reflecting the structured administrative controls of the mint workshops.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of this denarius presents a draped bust of Julia Domna facing right, encapsulated within a neat dotted border. Her portraiture is celebrated in Roman numismatic art for its striking individualization and elaborate hair arrangement. In this issue, her hair is parted in the middle and carefully dressed in broad, horizontal waves that flow symmetrically down the sides of the head, covering the ears before being brought together at the back into a broad, flat, braided coil or chignon resting low at the nape of the neck. This hairstyle, frequently referred to in scholarship as the second or middle portrait style of the empress, differs noticeably from her earliest coin portraits, where the hair was gathered in a tighter, simpler roll. Her drapery is rendered with naturalistic folds over the shoulders and across the base of the neck, presenting the empress as an aristocratic Roman matron. The engraving style is classicizing, emphasizing clear facial contours, a straight nose, and expressive eyes, visual attributes that reinforced her dignity as the consort of the Augustus and mother of the designated heirs.

Reverse Typology and Ideological Symbolism

The reverse design of RIC IV Septimius Severus 575 depicts the personification Pudicitia, the divine embodiment of female chastity, modesty, and decorum in Roman religion and social ethics. Pudicitia is shown seated on a backless throne or stool facing to the left, though her head and upper torso are turned toward the front to confront the viewer directly. She is fully draped in a long stola and wearing a mantle or veil that falls down her back. Her right hand is raised gently to touch or rest upon her breast, an iconic ancient gesture associated with modesty and the drawing of the bridal or matronly veil. In her left hand, she holds a long, vertical sceptre resting on the ground, an attribute that underscores her divine and imperial authority. Pudicitia was a virtue traditionally reserved for the Roman matrona univira, a woman married only once who faithfully discharged her familial duties. By adopting Pudicitia as a patron divinity on imperial silver, the Severan court elevated Julia Domna to the ultimate exemplar of female virtue, projecting an image of moral rectitude and dynastic stability across the empire.

Epigraphic Analysis and Legend Formats

The inscriptions on both sides of this denarius are concise and deliberate in their political messaging. The obverse legend reads IVLIA AVGVSTA, written continuously in an arching format around the perimeter from the lower left to the lower right. Notably, this legend dispenses with any explicit mention of her husband, her father Julius Bassianus, or her Syrian origin, relying entirely on her personal name and the exalted constitutional title of Augusta. This two-word formula became her standard obverse legend from approximately AD 196 until the end of Severan coinage, replacing the earlier civil war formula IVLIA DOMNA AVG. The reverse legend consists of the single nominative word PVDICITIA, arranged circularly along the upper rim of the coin. The epigraphy displays the typical Severan letterforms of the Rome mint, characterized by sharp serifs, well-proportioned capitals, and clear spacing. In accordance with the standard practice for Roman empresses, the legends omit administrative formulas such as tribunician powers or consulships, which were strictly held by male magistrates and emperors.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within the standard reference system established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage, this type is catalogued as RIC IV Septimius Severus 575. The overarching chronology assigned to the IVLIA AVGVSTA series spans from AD 196, following the elevation of Caracalla to Caesar and the consolidation of Severan dynastic identity, down to the death of Septimius Severus at Eboracum in AD 211. Within this broad fifteen-year span, numismatists including Harold Mattingly and Philip V. Hill have suggested a more restricted primary striking period, placing this seated Pudicitia issue predominantly between approximately AD 196 and 204. This refined dating is supported by portrait development, which links this hair arrangement to the middle phase of Julia Domna's coinage before the adoption of larger, broader hairstyles on her later issues. This type must be distinguished from other Severan denarii bearing the name of Julia Domna that feature Pudicitia standing or seated without the forward-turned head, as well as distinct issues struck under Caracalla during his sole reign or later under Elagabalus and Severus Alexander.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Evidence

As an abundant issue of the central mint in Rome, denarii of RIC IV Septimius Severus 575 entered extensive circulation throughout the provinces of the Roman Empire. Evidence from major hoards, such as the massive Reka Devnia hoard discovered in modern Bulgaria, demonstrates that denarii of the IVLIA AVGVSTA series were struck in significant volume and remained in commercial and military circulation for decades. Hoard deposits from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces regularly contain these coins in association with silver issues of Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and earlier Antonine rulers. Metallurgical investigations by Kevin Butcher and Matthew Ponting confirm that the reduced fineness of the Severan denarius did not restrict its acceptance in western markets, as it circulated at par with older, purer denarii under state fiduciary enforcement. The wear patterns observed on preserved specimens indicate that this seated Pudicitia type continued to change hands well into the mid-third century AD, only being retired as the double-denarius or antoninianus became the dominant silver denomination of the empire.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. p. 165, no. 61
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 599-612
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 575 (denarius). ric.4.ss.575_denarius
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 168, no. 575