Severus Alexander Silver Denarius RIC IV Severus Alexander 173

Monetary Context and Economic Background

During the reign of Severus Alexander (AD 222 to AD 235), the Roman monetary system relied heavily upon the silver denarius as the primary medium of state expenditure, taxation, and military compensation. Under the preceding Severan emperors, notably Septimius Severus and Caracalla, the denarius had experienced substantial debasement, dropping from the higher purity maintained in the Antonine era to approximately fifty percent silver or lower. Caracalla introduced the double denarius, or antoninianus, in AD 215 to alleviate fiscal strains, but the denarius reclaimed its place as the undisputed staple silver denomination during the reign of Severus Alexander. Production of the antoninianus ceased entirely at Rome during this period, leaving the denarius as the cornerstone of regular imperial silver currency. Struck between AD 222 and AD 228, the issue classified as RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 exemplifies this consolidated silver system. The alloy employed by the Rome mint typically maintained an average weight of roughly 3.0 grams, although individual surviving pieces vary between 2.6 and 3.5 grams depending on mint tolerances and subsequent circulation wear. Fineness hovered around forty to forty-five percent silver, alloyed predominantly with copper. Despite this reduced intrinsic metallic worth compared to earlier centuries, the denarius preserved full legal tender status at face value, supported by the state apparatus and pervasive institutional acceptance across commercial and military spheres.

Mint Production and Technical Execution

RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 was struck exclusively at the imperial mint of Rome. In this era, the Rome mint was organized into distinct officinae or workshops, each tasked with turning out consistent volumes of standardized coinage across diverse imperial denominations. Although the coins of Severus Alexander from Rome do not bear overt officina marks, stylistic and die analyses demonstrate coordinated production schedules and rigorous oversight by the procurator monetae. Blanks were cast in moulds, prepared to nominal weight groups, and hand-struck between engraved bronze dies. The physical execution of RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 exhibits characteristic third-century technical hallmarks. Die alignment was predominantly regular, often adhering closely to a six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation. Flan diameters generally measure between 18 and 20 millimetres. Flans of this issue frequently present irregular, slightly cracked perimeters resulting from the forceful impact of striking silver-copper alloys that possessed less malleability than pure silver. The engraving style of the Rome celators during the early 220s AD achieved notable technical refinement, rendering realistic facial features, subtle drapery folds, and balanced reverse figures before the harsher stylization of the later soldier-emperor period set in.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 features a right-facing portrait of the young ruler, designated typologically as laureate and draped. Severus Alexander ascended the throne as a youth of approximately thirteen years, and his earliest numismatic portraits depict relatively soft, rounded facial contours without facial hair. Over the course of the issue window between AD 222 and AD 228, the imperial image evolved subtly across sequential die batches, showing a gradually maturing profile with more defined jawlines and elongated facial features. The laurel wreath encircling the head served as an ancient and persistent symbol of imperial victory, sovereign authority, and divine favour. The drapery across the truncation of the bust is carefully articulated, showing folds of the paludamentum or cuirass gathering at the shoulder and neck. This drapery emphasized both civil dignity and military authority, aligning the youthful monarch with traditional Augustan and Antonine precedents while distancing the regime from the religious eccentricities of Elagabalus.

Reverse Iconography: The Foresight of the Emperor

The reverse design of this type is dedicated to Providentia, the personification of divine and imperial foresight. She is portrayed standing draped and facing left, holding a wand or rod in her extended right hand and grasping a vertical sceptre in her left hand. Resting upon the ground at her feet is a celestial or terrestrial globe. Providentia held a vital position within Severan dynastic messaging. In Roman imperial theology, Providentia denoted not merely general divine protection, but specifically the emperor's vigilant anticipation of public needs, including the security of the grain supply (annona), the smooth functioning of public administration, and the stable succession of the principate. The globe at her feet symbolised cosmic order and universal dominion under Rome's stewardship, directed by the guiding touch of the wand. The tall sceptre embodied royal majesty and legitimate governance. Through this composition, RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 communicated that despite the sovereign's youth, the empire remained sheltered under wise, continuous, and proactive administration.

Epigraphic Analysis and Legend Formulations

The inscriptions on RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 follow strict conventions characteristic of the early years of the reign. The obverse legend reads IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, transcribed in full as Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander Augustus. The title Imperator opens the inscription, affirming supreme military command. Caesar and Augustus frame the imperial nomenclature, while Marcus Aurelius Severus connects Alexander directly to the prestigious dynastic lineages of the Antonines and Septimius Severus. The reverse legend reads simply PROVIDENTIA AVG, abbreviating Providentia Augusti, meaning the foresight of the Augustus. The lettering is composed in neat imperial capitals, carefully spaced around the bead-and-reel border. The absence of specific tribunician numbers, consulships, or acclamations indicates that this reverse was conceived as a general thematic issue rather than an annually dated emission, facilitating continuous production across several calendar years without necessitating frequent legend revisions.

Typology, Dating, and Related Issues

In the framework established by Harold Mattingly, Edward A. Sydenham, and Percy H. Webb in Roman Imperial Coinage, type 173 is situated within the early undated coinages of the Rome mint struck between AD 222 and AD 228. The chronological boundary is determined primarily by the obverse formula IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, which predominated during the first phase of the reign before giving way in AD 228 to the revised formula IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG or later variants incorporating the title PIVS. RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 belongs to an extensive series of allegorical denarii struck alongside dated tribunician types (PM TR P through PM TR P VII). Parallel issues featuring Providentia exist with minor variations, including stances where Providentia leans upon a column or holds ears of corn rather than a sceptre, as catalogued in neighboring RIC entries. Furthermore, identical iconographic compositions appeared on contemporary bronze denominations, such as sestertii and dupondii, demonstrating that the Providentia motif formed a coordinated multi-denomination propaganda campaign orchestrated by the monetary administration in Rome during the 220s AD.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Distribution

Denarii of RIC IV Severus Alexander 173 enjoyed extensive circulation across the provinces of the Roman Empire, as evidenced by coin hoard discoveries and single-find assemblages. Vast quantities of Severan denarii entered circulation through legionary pay stations along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as garrison hubs in Roman Britain and Syria. Hoards dating from the later third century, such as those buried during the crises of the Gallic Empire and the Aurelianic monetary reforms, consistently yield significant proportions of early Severus Alexander denarii. Because the debasement rate escalated dramatically after AD 238 with the massive reintroduction and dominance of the radiate antoninianus, Severan denarii like RIC IV 173 were often hoarded for their comparatively superior silver content. Wear patterns on recovered specimens range from lightly circulated pieces to heavily smoothed coins, reflecting decades of active utility in daily trade. The survival rate of this specific reverse type attests to its high initial mintage, underscoring its prominence in the everyday monetary pool of the mid-third century AD.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. Severan denarii in third-century hoards
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. VI: Severus Alexander to Balbinus and Pupienus. Severus Alexander, Rome mint
3. Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Coinage, A.D. 193-284. Providentia Augusti typologies
4. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Severan currency and mint operations
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Severus Alexander 173. ric.4.sa.173
6. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 83, no. 173