Severus Alexander Sestertius, RIC IV Severus Alexander 648d

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

Under the Severan dynasty, the Roman monetary system preserved the traditional Augustan architecture of denominations, with the orichalcum sestertius standing as the cornerstone of civic brass and bronze currency. Equivalent to four asses or two dupondii, and valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius, the sestertius served as the primary daily unit of commercial transaction, state accounting, and civic retail payment across Italy and the western provinces. By the reign of Severus Alexander (AD 222 to 235), progressive debasement of the silver coinage had placed subtle upward pressures on the base-metal denominations, yet the central administration maintained a substantial output of sestertii to stabilize domestic markets. Sestertii provided a large, highly visible flan capable of bearing imperial policy statements, military slogans, and dynastic aspirations to an expansive, non-elite audience. RIC IV Severus Alexander 648d belongs to the closing monetary emissions of the dynasty, struck alongside antoniniani, denarii, and smaller bronze fractions, offering tangible economic liquidity during prolonged imperial mobilizations in the East and on the Rhine frontier.

Production Standards and Mint Operation

The entire regular production of bronze coinage for Severus Alexander was concentrated at the central imperial mint in Rome. Operating through several distinct workshops or officinae, the mint executed both precious-metal strikes and large aes emissions under senatorial purview, as attested by the formulaic senatorial decree mark S C (Senatus Consulto). Flan preparation for third-century sestertii typically involved casting circular blanks in open or closed gang moulds, followed by cold or warm striking between hand-held engraved dies. While the theoretical weight standard for the sestertius remained nominally tied to the uncial division of the Roman pound (theoretically targeting approximately 20 to 24 grams), surviving specimens exhibit substantial dispersion typical of al-marco minting, where a prescribed number of blanks were struck from a fixed weight of metal rather than individual weight verification. The alloy used in this period continued to be orichalcum, a copper-zinc brass, though metallurgical analyses often reveal trace admixtures of tin and lead reflecting the remelting of older circulating coin stocks.

Obverse Portraiture and Attributes

The obverse of RIC IV Severus Alexander 648d features a right-facing portrait of the emperor characterized by distinct military and imperial regalia. In accordance with the catalogue subtype designation 648d, the portrait is laureate, draped, and cuirassed. This specific configuration presents the bust covered by body armor overlaid with paludamentum drapery, an iconographic choice signaling military vigilance and supreme commander status during a period dominated by frontier warfare against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic tribes. The laurel wreath rests securely on the emperor's short hair, with ties extending downward behind the neck. In late Severan portraiture, the youthful features that defined the early emissions of the AD 220s gave way to a more mature, austere countenance, marked by linear facial modeling, close-cropped hair, and a slight chin beard, reflecting the evolution of Severan artistic conventions toward third-century verism.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse design displays Spes, the divine personification of hope, advancing in a fluid step toward the left. Clothed in a long, draped stola, she holds a budding flower or blossom in her outstretched right hand while using her left hand to gather and lift the folds of her skirt. This posture represents the classical, archaizing iconographic formula for Spes that had been established under Emperor Claudius and sustained across successive dynasties. In Roman imperial ideology, Spes Publica (the Hope of the Public or the Roman People) carried dynastic and civic resonance, reassuring the citizenry of state renewal, security, and an enduring future. During the perilous years between AD 231 and AD 235, as Severus Alexander confronted internal army dissent and grave external threats, invoking Spes functioned as public propaganda projecting stability and continuity under imperial leadership.

Epigraphic Legends and Epigraphy

The obverse carries the uninterrupted circumscription IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG. This abbreviated Latin formula translates to 'Imperator Alexander Pius Augustus.' The adoption of 'Pius' as a core imperial cognomen occurred in AD 231, replacing the earlier obverse titling that had incorporated 'Severus' or 'M. Aurelius Alexander.' The reverse legend reads SPES PVBLICA, surrounding the central figure, while the traditional abbreviation S C (Senatus Consulto) is divided across the lower field, flanking Spes. The epigraphy displays the crisp, standardized letterforms characteristic of the Rome mint in the 230s, featuring sharp serifs and consistent proportional spacing. The omission of traditional consular (COS) or tribunician (TR P) numbers on this type renders the reverse legend non-dated, relying instead on obverse titulature and portrait style for chronological placement.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

RIC IV Severus Alexander 648 forms part of a broader series of late aes issues sharing the reverse design of Spes Publica. The general type is subdivided in numismatic reference corpora by the specific drapery and armor attributes of the imperial bust. Subtype 648a exhibits a laureate head without drapery, 648b shows a laureate head with slight drapery on the left shoulder, 648c displays a laureate and draped bust seen from the back or side, while 648d is specifically defined by the combination of laurel wreath, drapery, and cuirass. Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham assigned this series to the terminal chronological bracket of AD 231 to 235 on the basis of the obverse legend formula IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, which is securely linked in the silver and dated aes series to Tribunician Power X through XIIII. Production of this type ceased abruptly with the assassination of Severus Alexander and his mother Julia Mamaea near Mogontiacum (Mainz) in March AD 235, which ushered in the reign of Maximinus Thrax.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Archaeological Context

Sestertii of the late Severan period circulated extensively throughout the western and Danubian provinces of the Roman Empire, including Britannia, Gaul, the Germanies, and Pannonia, as well as the Italian homeland. Excavation finds and bronze hoards indicate that third-century aes coins experienced long circulating lifespans, frequently remaining in local markets for decades until the widespread monetary collapses of the AD 260s. Due to regular commercial handling, many preserved examples of RIC IV 648d show moderate to heavy surface wear on high-relief areas such as the emperor's cheek and the drapery folds of Spes. Because the Roman state issued diminishing quantities of large brass denominations under subsequent soldier-emperors, late Severan sestertii remained essential monetary vehicles for retail transactions well into the mid-third century.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume VI: Severus Alexander to Balbinus and Pupienus. pp. 200-205
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Severus Alexander 648d. ric.4.sa.648d
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 119, no. 648d