RIC IV Septimius Severus 106 (denarius) Silver Denarius

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The accession of Septimius Severus in AD 193 initiated substantial adjustments to imperial fiscal structures and monetary administration. Confronted by prolonged civil conflicts against Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, followed by renewal of major external hostilities on the Euphrates frontier, the Severan government required vast financial resources to ensure the loyalty of the legions. Early in his reign, around AD 194, Severus lowered the silver purity of the denarius from the approximately seventy-five percent standard maintained under Commodus to approximately fifty-five to fifty-eight percent. This significant debasement permitted a substantial expansion in coin output without requiring equivalent increases in raw silver stock. Denarii struck under this reduced fineness remained the principal medium of state expenditure, troop pay, and imperial donatives. RIC IV Septimius Severus 106 represents a typical specimen of this debased silver medium, serving both practical fiscal functions and ideological communication during a year characterized by major military transitions.

Mint of Rome and Production Standards

This specific denarius type was produced entirely at the principal imperial mint in Rome. Although Severus had made extensive use of regional mints during the civil wars, particularly in the East at Antioch and Alexandria, as well as temporarily at Lugdunum, the Rome mint resumed central production of imperial precious-metal coinage once the capital was secure. The coin was struck on standard flans intended for regular denarius circulation, weighing typically in the range of approximately 2.8 to 3.4 grams, with diameters usually hovering between 17 and 19 millimeters. Flans were cast in molds and struck hot between engraved dies. Die alignment for Severan denarii of this phase frequently exhibits an upright or slightly offset orientation, characteristic of the controlled mechanical production of the Rome mint in the late second century AD.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse design of RIC IV Septimius Severus 106 features the laureate head of Septimius Severus facing to the right. Stylistically, the portrait belongs to the emperor's recognized second portrait style, which emerged after his adoption into the Antonine lineage as the posthumous son of Marcus Aurelius. This style departed from his earliest realistic, veristic likenesses by incorporating elongated, corkscrew beard curls and a more dignified, regal expression reminiscent of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. The laurel wreath encircling the head is tied with ribbons that fall behind the neck, serving as an ancient symbol of martial victory and sacred imperial prestige. The engraving displays refined, high-relief detailing in the hair and beard, demonstrating the high competence of the Rome mint's celatores during this period.

Reverse Iconography of the Profectio

The reverse iconography depicts Septimius Severus in active military attire, riding a horse that prances to the right. The emperor holds a spear upright or tilted forward in his right hand, demonstrating active command and readiness for combat. The composition belongs to the established Roman numismatic genre of the profectio, a formal ceremony celebrating the ritual departure of the emperor from Rome on an active military campaign. Unlike the adlocutio or decursio scenes that focus on troop address or cavalry maneuvers, the profectio highlights the dynamic movement of the supreme commander outward from the center of power toward the frontiers. The motif visually assured the Roman public that the princeps was personally leading his soldiers to defend the frontiers and punish foreign enemies.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The obverse legend reads L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VIIII, an abbreviation for Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax Augustus, Imperator VIIII. The inclusion of PERT emphasizes his self-proclaimed role as the avenger of Pertinax, while IMP VIIII precisely anchors the issue to the imperial acclamation received in early AD 197 following the victory over Clodius Albinus. The reverse carries the concise, declarative legend PROFECTIO AVG, which expands to Profectio Augusti, signifying the departure of the Augustus. The lettering is rendered in regular, well-proportioned Roman capitals characteristic of the central urban mint, without internal punctuation or division marks.

Typology and Chronological Sequence

Within the typology of Severan coinage, this denarius is dated securely to the middle or late months of AD 197. The combination of the ninth imperial acclamation (IMP VIIII) and the absence of the tenth acclamation (IMP X), which was assumed late in AD 197 or early AD 198 after the capture of the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon, provides narrow chronological bounds. Following the conclusion of the civil war in Gaul in February AD 197, Severus returned briefly to Rome before mobilizing his legions in the summer of that year for the second Parthian expedition. The PROFECTIO AVG type directly commemorates this strategic transition from domestic civil pacification to foreign imperial expansion.

Circulation and Hoard Evidence

Denarii of the PROFECTIO AVG type entered extensive circulation alongside contemporary issues honoring the army, the imperial family, and previous civil victories. Because Severus paid significant donatives to the military upon embarking on the Parthian campaign, vast quantities of fresh denarii struck at Rome were carried eastward by troops or dispersed through civil networks. Hoard evidence from across Roman Europe and the Near East reveals that these denarii circulated widely for decades, surviving through the reigns of Caracalla and Severus Alexander until the broad demonetization of pre-debasement denarii in the mid-third century AD. Wear patterns on surviving specimens attest to prolonged commercial exchange across multiple provinces.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 57-58
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 106 (denarius). ric.4.ss.106_denarius
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 104, no. 106