RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 Silver Denarius

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The emission of RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 occurred during the crucial year AD 195, a period defined by intense military restructuring and aggressive political self-fashioning following the defeat of Pescennius Niger in the East. Upon subduing his rival, Septimius Severus launched punitive campaigns against the kingdoms of Adiabene and Osrhoene, as well as allied Arabian tribes that had aided Niger or taken advantage of Roman infighting to assert autonomy. The victorious outcome of these operations provided the regime with vital military prestige and justified the assumption of new triumphal titles. In the broader monetary sphere, Severus had already introduced significant changes to the silver coinage. Inheriting a depleted treasury from the reigns of Commodus, Pertinax, and Didius Julianus, Severus reduced the fineness of the denarius around AD 194 to approximately 50 to 55 percent silver, down from the Antonine standard of roughly 75 percent. RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 reflects this transformed monetary reality, balancing reduced intrinsic value with high nominal purchasing power enforced by imperial authority. Striking denarii with triumphal types allowed the administration to meet vast payroll obligations while distributing tangible proof of imperial prowess to legionaries and civilians throughout the empire.

Production and Mint Organization

RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 was produced by the central imperial mint located in Rome. Although active provincial and eastern branch mints operating in regions such as Syria (for instance, Laodicea ad Mare) struck coins for Severus during this transitional era, this specific catalogue type is securely attributed to the capital. The officinae of the Rome mint operated under established bureaucratic oversight, converting alloyed silver bullion into flans via cast blanks that were subsequently struck by hand between engraved dies. Dies were oriented predominantly in a standard upright or inverted alignment, typically conforming to a 6 or 12 o'clock die axis characteristic of central imperial practice. Weight distributions for denarii of this issue center typically around 2.8 to 3.2 grams, consistent with the reduced target standard of the early Severan Rome mint, though manufacturing tolerances yielded wider variations in individual specimens.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of the coin displays a right-facing head of Septimius Severus, crowned with a laurel wreath whose ties hang behind his neck. The portraiture is representative of Severus's early sculptural and numismatic style, in which the emperor deliberately adopted physical attributes reminiscent of Marcus Aurelius and Pertinax to project legitimacy, dynastic continuity, and traditional military gravitas. The engraving showcases curled locks of hair and a trimmed beard, features that became hallmarks of the Severan imperial image. Surrounding the portrait, the legend is arranged along the beaded border, framing the imperial bust with clear, deeply cut lettering that emphasizes Severus's official titles during the middle of the year AD 195.

Reverse Iconography and Triumphal Themes

The reverse iconography presents a potent scene of subjugation: two bound eastern captives seated back to back on round shields. Both figures wear long, ankle-length drapery and distinctive pointed headdresses characteristic of eastern costume in Roman visual tradition, identifying them ethnically as representatives of the subdued populations of northern Mesopotamia and the Syrian-Arabian frontier. Their hands are bound behind them, symbolizing utter military defeat. Resting below them are round shields, serving as ground-lines and trophies of captured military equipment. This iconography draws heavily upon a long-standing Roman iconographic vocabulary of captive barbarians, previously employed under Trajan, Lucius Verus, and Marcus Aurelius. In this instance, the composition visually substantiates the territorial pacification and triumphal acclamations articulated in the accompanying legend.

Epigraphy and Titulature Analysis

The legends on RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 provide crucial chronological and ideological evidence. The obverse legend reads L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP V, expanding to Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax Augustus, Imperator V. The retention of 'PERT' underscores Severus's deliberate self-presentation as the avenger of the revered Pertinax, while 'IMP V' notes his fifth military salutation, achieved during the successful campaigns in Mesopotamia in AD 195. The reverse legend reads PART ARAB PART ADIAB COS II P P, expanding to Parthicus Arabicus, Parthicus Adiabenicus, Consul II, Pater Patriae. The cognomina ex virtute explicitly declare Severus's conquest of Arabian and Adiabenian adversaries. While Septimius Severus declined the unqualified title 'Parthicus' to avoid precipitating an all-out war with the Parthian Empire proper at this time, the hyphenated titles Parthicus Arabicus and Parthicus Adiabenicus claimed regional dominion. 'COS II' marks his second consulship (held in AD 194), while 'P P' records his position as Father of the Country.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology of the Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 is strictly defined by the combination of the obverse legend ending in 'IMP V' with the reverse legend naming both 'PART ARAB' and 'PART ADIAB' above the back-to-back captives on shields. Severus acquired the title Imperator V and the twin eastern victory titles in AD 195, but rapidly advanced to subsequent acclamations, including IMP VI, IMP VII, and IMP VIII, as operations continued and tensions with Clodius Albinus flared later that same year and into AD 196. This rapid progression of titulature restricts the production window of RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 to a discrete phase within AD 195. Numismatists distinguish this type from closely related companion emissions that bear slightly different iterations of Severus's titulature (such as IMP VI or IMP VII) or variations in captive stances, trophies, and mint locations.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Following its striking at Rome, RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 entered widespread imperial circulation. Severan denarii were disbursed en masse to pay legionary salaries, administrative expenditures, and urban grain distributions, facilitating rapid dispersal from Italy to the western frontier provinces along the Rhine and Danube, as well as toward the Balkans and the East. In hoard studies throughout the Roman world, such as the Shapwick and Eauze hoards, denarii of the 'IMP V' issues of AD 195 appear regularly alongside both earlier Antonine survivals and later Severan issues. Due to the high production volume of the Rome mint during Severus's military mobilization and the long circulation lifespan of debased Severan silver through the mid-third century, specimens of RIC IV Septimius Severus 62 survive in moderate quantities across modern institutional and private cabinets, typically displaying light to moderate circulation wear.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 37-38
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan Decius. pp. 597-601
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Septimius Severus 62. ric.4.ss.62
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part I: Pertinax to Geta. p. 100, no. 62