Septimius Severus Silver Denarius RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The issue catalogued as RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C was struck in the crucible of civil conflict and external expansion that marked the foundation of the Severan dynasty. By the close of AD 197, Septimius Severus had eliminated his last imperial rival, Clodius Albinus, at the climactic Battle of Lugdunum in February of that year. Soon after securing supreme authority across the western provinces, Severus initiated his second major campaign against the Parthian Empire, seeking to relieve the siege of Nisibis and reassert Roman dominance across Mesopotamia. These protracted military endeavors imposed massive strains on the imperial fiscus, necessitating vigorous silver production to finance legionary pay, donatives, and administrative reorganization. Under Severus, the denarius had already undergone a decisive structural debasement in approximately AD 194, when its silver fineness was officially reduced from the Antonine standard of roughly 75 percent to approximately 50 to 55 percent pure silver. The typical weight of the denarius during this period hovered between 3.0 and 3.3 grams, yielding an actual silver content substantially lower than that maintained under Marcus Aurelius or Commodus. The production of RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C in AD 197 and AD 198 exemplifies this reformed monetary framework. The volume of coinage minted during these years reflects the reliance of the new regime on military loyalty, converting newly acquired bullion and melted reserves into regular currency bearing programmatic messages of dynastic triumph and imperial legitimacy.

Production and Mint Attribution

Numismatic scholarship securely attributes RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C to the primary imperial mint at Rome. Although branch mints were active during the early Severan period to support operations in the east (such as Laodicea ad Mare and Alexandria) and during the civil war in Gaul (such as Lugdunum), the stylistic characteristics of this denarius belong squarely to the capital's principal workshops. The Rome mint in the late 190s AD operated with high administrative coordination, organizing die cutters into officinae that produced consistent portrait dies and standard reverse typologies. Coins of this type were manufactured through traditional manual striking, utilizing pre-cast flans pressed between engraved iron or bronze dies. Obverse dies typically display high relief and the distinctive classical style of the Rome mint, contrasting with the cruder, broader portraits produced contemporaneously at the eastern mints. Analysis of surviving specimens indicates that the mint of Rome maintained relatively tight quality control over blank weight, although occasional flan irregularity, off-center strikes, and minor die cracks appear across the surviving corpus. Output from the mint during AD 197 and AD 198 was exceptionally heavy, matching the fiscal disbursements required by the concurrent Parthian expedition.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C presents a right-facing portrait bust of Septimius Severus wearing a laurel wreath. The portrait adheres to what numismatists define as the emperor's second major portrait type, which emerged after AD 195. Moving away from the close imitation of Pertinax that characterized his earliest coins, this portrait presents Severus with distinct corkscrew curls framing the forehead, a prominent nose, and a divided, curly beard cascading down the chin, elements influenced by the iconography of Serapis. The laurel wreath is tied at the nape of the neck, with two ribbon ends falling gracefully over the back of the neck or shoulder. In this specific catalogue entry (120C), the truncation of the neck is plain, showing the bare head without drapery or cuirass, although minor die cutting variations in the treatment of the hair locks and neck termination are well attested across individual dies. The portrait conveys authority, martial readiness, and philosophical gravitas, deliberately aligning the ruler with imperial dignity while reinforcing his position as supreme military commander.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the coin is dominated by the full-length figure of Victoria, the Roman personification of victory. She is depicted winged and draped, advancing vigorously toward the left. In her extended right hand, she holds out a circular laurel wreath, the classic emblem of triumph offered to the victorious commander. With her left hand, she supports a palm branch that rests in a sloped posture over her left shoulder, symbolizing enduring martial triumph and divine favor. The drapery of Victoria is rendered in dynamic motion, billowing slightly behind her legs to emphasize swift movement. The placement of Victoria on the reverse of an issue struck between AD 197 and AD 198 carried acute political resonance. While it recalled the final termination of the civil war against Albinus, it also served as forward-looking propaganda for the ongoing campaigns along the Euphrates and Tigris. Victoria was among the most versatile and frequently utilized divine allegories on Roman imperial coinage, translating the practical realities of military conquest into standard religious and civic iconography.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse legend reads L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP X, struck clockwise from the lower left. In expanded Latin, this stands for Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax Augustus, Imperator Decimum. The adoption of Pertinax as an imperial surname affirmed Severus's self-appointed role as the avenger of the murdered emperor Pertinax in AD 193. The numeral IMP X records his tenth imperial acclamation, awarded late in AD 197 following the initial victories of the eastern campaign in Mesopotamia, securely anchoring the start of the issue sequence. The reverse legend is inscribed as VICT AVGG COS II P P, expanding to Victoriae Augustorum, Consul Secundum, Pater Patriae. The dative or genitive formulation Victoriae Augustorum (Victory of the Augusti) is written with a doubled 'G' in AVGG, an epigraphic detail of paramount significance: it denotes the shared imperial authority of two Augusti. While Severus held the consulship for the second time (COS II) and carried the title Pater Patriae (Father of the Country), the plural AVGG directly foreshadows or celebrates the elevation of his young son Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus) to the rank of co-emperor early in AD 198. The legend thus weaves together individual administrative honors with dynastic succession and divine military patronage.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the typological framework of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C forms part of a tightly dated series produced around the transition from AD 197 to AD 198. The sequence is defined strictly by the imperial acclamation IMP X on the obverse. Severus received this acclamation in late autumn AD 197 and advanced to IMP XI in early AD 198 following the capture of the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon and the formal elevation of Caracalla to Augustus. Sub-variants within RIC 120 are categorized by subtle differences in portrait drapery and legend arrangement. Catalogue number 120A designates specimens with a laureate and draped bust, 120B includes cuirassed drapery, and 120C represents the laureate head without drapery. Concurrently, closely related reverse types with identical legends feature Victoria seated or advancing right, demonstrating how the mint at Rome deployed several parallel die pairings within the same officina cycle. Because IMP X was held for only a few months during the winter of AD 197 and 198, the production window for RIC 120C is exceptionally narrow and chronologically secure.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Denarii bearing the titles IMP X circulated broadly throughout the empire, carried by soldiers returning from or deploying to the eastern frontier, as well as via central state disbursements to the Rhine and Danube garrisons. Because Severus's debasement of the denarius in AD 194 brought the silver content down to roughly 50 percent, older pre-Severan denarii of higher fineness were gradually hoarded or selectively melted down in accordance with Gresham's Law. Consequently, Severan denarii struck from AD 194 onward, including RIC 120C, rapidly came to dominate the active currency pool of the third century. Specimens of RIC 120C are regularly identified in major imperial coin hoards found across Britain, Gaul, the German limes, and the Danubian provinces, such as the Shapwick and Reka Devnia hoards. In the vast Reka Devnia deposit from Marcianopolis, Severan victory types represented a notable fraction of the third-century silver currency. Because these coins remained legal tender alongside the later antoniniani until the monetary crises of the mid-third century, surviving examples frequently show light to moderate circulation wear, though high-grade specimens preserved in early hoards remain accessible for numismatic study.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 60-62
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 120C. ric.4.ss.120C
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 106, no. 120C