Drusus Copper As, RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 45

Monetary Context and Political Purpose

The monetary reforms established under Augustus created a multi-tiered currency system in which copper and orichalcum denominations served the daily transactions of the Roman Empire. Within this trimetallic framework, the copper as functioned as the quintessential everyday fractional unit. While gold aurei and silver denarii proclaimed high-level political ideology across elite circles and the military, aes denominations circulated intensively among the broader populace of Italy and the western provinces. During the reign of Tiberius, aes production at Rome was intermittent and heavily focused on dynastic legitimacy and constitutional continuity. Following the demise of Germanicus in AD 19, Tiberius turned exclusively to his biological son, Drusus Julius Caesar, as his dynastic heir. In AD 22, Tiberius petitioned the Senate to grant Drusus the tribunicia potestas, effectively marking him as co-regent and heir apparent. The striking of RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 45 served to broadcast this constitutional milestone directly to the public through the primary medium of municipal commerce.

Production Standards and Minting

RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 45 was minted exclusively at the imperial capital of Rome. In keeping with the metallurgical parameters instituted by the Augustan reform, this as was manufactured from refined, essentially unalloyed red copper, distinguishing it physically and visually from the golden-hued orichalcum (brass) reserved for sestertii and dupondii. Under Julio-Claudian metrological norms, the theoretical weight standard of the as targeted approximately 10.5 to 11 grams, with a typical diameter spanning 27 to 30 millimeters, struck from carefully aligned manual dies, predominantly in a six o'clock or twelve o'clock axial orientation. The flans were cast prior to striking, producing occasional bevelled edges or minor irregular casting sprues characteristic of base-metal production at Rome during the 20s AD.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse presents a naturalistic portrait of Drusus Caesar facing left with a bare head, truncating cleanly at the neck. The portraiture adheres closely to the classicizing, serene aesthetic of the early Julio-Claudian court, sharing stylistic hallmarks with contemporary depictions of Tiberius and Germanicus. Drusus is rendered with a distinctively lean profile, prominent nose, and lightly curled hair arranged neatly across the brow. The absence of a laurel wreath or any divine attributes underscores his constitutional status as an heir holding civic magisterial power rather than an elevated, deified princeps. The leftward orientation is standard for this specific type, providing immediate visual differentiation from contemporary dupondii and sestertii featuring Drusus or Divus Augustus.

Reverse Iconography and Composition

The reverse of the coin is dominated by the monumental initials S C (Senatus Consulto) situated squarely in the center of the field. This traditional epigraphic motif affirms that the copper coinage was struck under the formal constitutional authority and decree of the Roman Senate, continuing the convention established under Augustus. Surrounding this central abbreviation is a continuous marginal inscription giving Drusus's official titles. The compositional balance is deliberately austere, prioritizing epigraphic clarity and legal legitimacy over narrative pictorial scenes, a recurring hallmark of Tiberian state coinage produced at the Rome mint.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The obverse inscription reads DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N, beginning low on the left and reading clockwise. This legend articulates Drusus's filial legitimacy: 'Drusus Caesar, son of Tiberius Augustus, grandson of the Deified Augustus' (Drusus Caesar Tiberii Augusti Filius Divi Augusti Nepos). The reverse legend reads PONTIF TRIBVN POTEST ITER, translating as 'Pontifex, Tribunician Power for the Second Time' (Pontifex, Tribunicia Potestate Iterum). The reverse text provides an explicit epigraphic anchor, confirming that Drusus was a member of the pontifical college and had entered his second renewal of the tribunician power, an office bestowed in AD 22 and renewed in AD 23.

Typology and Chronological Placement

RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 45 occupies a tightly constrained chronological window within the Julio-Claudian corpus. Drusus received the tribunician power in the spring of AD 22, with the second term (iterum) commencing either on the anniversary in AD 22/23 or on the traditional magisterial transition. Production of this type terminated abruptly with his unexpected death on September 14, AD 23, attributed by contemporary historians to poisoning arranged by the praetorian prefect Sejanus. In C.H.V. Sutherland's revised typology for Roman Imperial Coinage, type 45 is categorized alongside contemporary restitution and commemorative aes issues of the middle Tiberian reign, representing one of the few autonomous portrait coinages struck for Drusus before his post-mortem memorialization.

Circulation, Countermarking, and Findspots

Specimens of RIC Tiberius 45 entered widespread circulation throughout the western territories of the Roman Empire, including the Italian peninsula, Gaul, Hispania, and the Rhine frontier garrisons. Because bronze and copper coinages experienced exceptionally long lifespans in everyday commerce, these pieces often circulated for decades, remaining in use through the reigns of Claudius and Nero. Along the military frontiers in Germania and Raetia, examples frequently acquired contemporary countermarks applied by legionary authorities to validate official copper currency amid local supply shortages. Many surviving specimens exhibit substantial surface wear and corrosion typical of high-velocity monetary transactions in damp provincial soils.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. p. 133, nos. 95-97
2. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, tome I: Auguste. Tiberius, nos. 70-74
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 45. ric.1(2).tib.45
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). p. 97, no. 45
5. Roman History and Coinage, 44 BC - AD 69. pp. 58-62