Gratian Bronze AE3, RIC IX Alexandria 9A

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The production of RIC IX Alexandria 9A occurred during a pivotal and volatile juncture in late Roman history. Following the death of the Eastern Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in August AD 378, the empire faced intense military and administrative strain along the Danubian and Balkan frontiers. In response, Gratian, the senior Augustus ruling from the West, summoned the general Theodosius to Sirmium and elevated him to the purple as Augustus on 19 January AD 379, entrusting him with the Eastern provinces. As was customary within the administrative framework of the late imperial college, newly established rulers affirmed political harmony by striking coin series honoring all legitimate co-Augusti across their respective mint networks. In the Eastern diocese of Egypt, the mint of Alexandria participated actively in this imperial program by manufacturing base metal AE3 denominations under the authority of Theodosius I, recognizing Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius himself in collegiate parity. The introduction of the Concordia reverse type served not merely as a decorative convention, but as a deliberate ideological instrument communicating institutional stability, continuity, and mutual cooperation among the three rulers to civilian populations, imperial bureaucrats, and provincial garrison troops.

Production Standards and Alexandria Mint Operations

The Alexandria mint operated as one of the most prolific provincial coin factories of the later Roman Empire, serving the dense economic market of the Nile Valley and maintaining distinct administrative traditions inherited from its centuries as a closed monetary system. By the reign of Theodosius I, the facility had been fully integrated into the standard imperial diocesan mint system, operating through multiple numbered officinae (workshops). For RIC IX Alexandria 9A, bronze blanks were prepared according to the contemporary AE3 module, generally struck on flans ranging between 17 mm and 19 mm in diameter, with theoretical weight standards situated around 2.2 to 2.6 grams, though survival weights across late Roman bronze issues regularly display considerable variance due to batch casting and rapid flan preparation. Flans were stamped using paired iron dies aligned in the typical late Roman vertical or inverted axes. Workshop activity is recorded through exergual signatures incorporating the mint name ALE alongside Greek numerals representing the operating officina, such as ALEA for the first workshop or ALEB for the second, sometimes accompanied by wreath or field symbols indicative of specific production emission cycles.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Representation

The obverse of RIC IX Alexandria 9A presents an imperial portrait of Gratian that adheres strictly to the standardized, stylized conventions established for Christian Roman emperors in the later fourth century. The bust is presented facing right, wearing the pearl diadem, the standard insignia of absolute imperial sovereignty since the reign of Constantine I. In accordance with fourth-century imperial portrait protocols, the diadem consists of a double strand of uniform pearls tied at the back of the head, with the diadem ties descending along the neck. Gratian is portrayed wearing the paludamentum (military cloak) draped over a cuirass, balancing civilian majesty with the role of supreme commander. The facial features reflect the idealized, impassive court style typical of the Theodosian era, with large upward-gazing eyes, a prominent straight nose, and hair carved in neat, symmetrical locks along the brow and neck. Rather than capturing individual physiological likeness, the portrait serves as an abstract imperial effigy confirming Gratian's senior position within the collegiate hierarchy of the empire.

Reverse Iconography: The Seated Roma

The reverse iconography of RIC IX Alexandria 9A centers on an enthroned, helmeted personification of Roma, embodying both the timeless authority of the Roman state and the renewed vigor of imperial rule. Roma is represented seated facing on a throne, with her head turned toward the left in profile. In her extended right hand, she elevates a globus, the universal emblem of world dominion, while in her left hand she supports a vertical or partially obscured spear, symbolizing military might and defense of the frontiers. A distinctive iconographic trait of this type is her drapery, which leaves her right leg exposed or bare from the thigh downward, an artistic convention rooted in classical representations of the Amazonian virtus and adapted for late Roman personifications of imperial capitals. While contemporaneous issues at other eastern mints occasionally substituted Constantinopolis holding a cornucopia and resting her foot on a prow, the Alexandria 9A type retains the traditional armed Roma seated facing, demonstrating the continued symbolic potency of the ancient capital even within an eastern administrative center.

Epigraphic Formulations and Mintmarks

The epigraphy of RIC IX Alexandria 9A is composed in clear Latin capitals, conveying standard administrative and political messages. The obverse legend reads D N GRATIA-NVS P F AVG, broken across the upper portion of the imperial diadem. This expands to Dominus Noster Gratianus Pius Felix Augustus ('Our Lord Gratian, Pious and Fortunate Augustus'), expressing legitimate sovereignty and piety. On the reverse, the circumscription CONCOR-DIA AVGGG emphasizes the concord of three Augusti (Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius I), signaled grammatically by the threefold repetition of the letter G in AVGGG. The exergue contains the mintmark of Alexandria, abbreviated as ALE, typically conjoined with an officina indicator such as ALEA or ALEB. Epigraphic variations within the emission are restricted to minor differences in legend breaks and officina assignments, with letterforms exhibiting typical late fourth-century characteristics, including square-topped A's and narrow, elongated lettering designed to fit the circumference of the compact AE3 flan.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established by J. W. E. Pearce in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IX, the Alexandria series is catalogued sequentially by emission and ruler. Entry 9A represents the Gratian parallel within the first major bronze emission initiated by Theodosius I at Alexandria, complemented by RIC IX Alexandria 9B for Valentinian II and 9C for Theodosius I himself. The type commenced production shortly after Theodosius assumed imperial control of the East in early AD 379 and continued until the death of Gratian in August AD 383, when Magnus Maximus usurped power in the West and struck down Gratian near Lugdunum. Following Gratian's assassination, his name was excised from collegiate issues across the eastern mints, and the CONCORDIA AVGGG legend was eventually phased out or modified to AVGG in subsequent emissions. RIC IX Alexandria 9A therefore occupies a strictly demarcated chronological bracket of AD 378 to 383, marking the initial consolidation of Theodosian authority in Egypt under a tripartite imperial college.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Economic Role

As an AE3 denomination, RIC IX Alexandria 9A served as high-velocity fractional currency essential for daily retail transactions, local taxation, and the minor disbursement of state wages in late fourth-century Egypt. Archaeological excavations across the Nile Delta, the Fayum, and urban centers such as Alexandria, Antinoopolis, and Oxyrhynchus consistently uncover CONCORDIA AVGGG AE3 specimens, demonstrating extensive circulation throughout the Diocese of Egypt. Beyond provincial borders, the unified typological program across eastern mints allowed Alexandria-struck bronzes to circulate alongside issues from Antioch, Constantinople, Cyzicus, and Nicomedia throughout the Levant and southern Anatolia. The extensive wear observed on many surviving specimens testifies to prolonged circulation, as copper-alloy coins often remained in use for decades, occasionally surviving in civilian circulation into the fifth century until replaced or demonetized by later monetary reforms under Anastasius I.

References

1. Catalogue of Late Roman Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection. pp. 68-74
2. Late Roman Bronze Coinage, A.D. 324-498. Part II, pp. 100-103
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IX Alexandria 9A. ric.9.alex.9A
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IX: Valentinian I to Theodosius I. pp. 297, 299, no. 9A