Tiberius Sestertius RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42

Monetary and Political Context

During the principate of Tiberius (AD 14-37), the monetary system established by Augustus functioned as a mature, multi-denominational framework resting on precious metals (gold aurei and silver denarii) and base-metal civic denominations struck in orichalcum (sestertius and dupondius) and copper (as, semis, and quadrans). The sestertius, valued at four bronze asses or one-quarter of a silver denarius, was the flagship heavy brass coin of everyday commerce. Its expansive flan of approximately 34 to 36 millimeters made it the primary vehicle for high-level political, religious, and dynastic messaging addressed to the Roman public. In the year AD 22, the succession question stood at the absolute center of Roman imperial politics. Following the sudden death of Germanicus in AD 19, Tiberius's natural son, Drusus Julius Caesar, became the clear heir apparent. In the spring of AD 22, Tiberius petitioned the Senate to confer tribunician power upon Drusus, marking his formal elevation to co-regency alongside his father. RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 belongs to the major brass emission authorized by the Senate to commemorate this political milestone. Rather than depicting the princeps Tiberius himself, the issue focuses exclusively on Drusus and his young family, highlighting the security of the dynasty through three generations: Augustus the deified grandfather, Tiberius the ruling princeps, and Drusus with his twin infant sons.

Mint of Rome and Production Standards

RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 was struck exclusively at the imperial capital by the mint of Rome. The imperial aes coinage of this period was produced under senatorial oversight as indicated by the bold S C formula, though operational management and ideological direction were coordinated with the imperial administration. The metal alloy utilized for this denomination was orichalcum, a refined copper-zinc alloy (brass) prized in antiquity for its golden luster, which sharply differentiated it from the reddish copper used for asses. Production followed the standard Augustan weight module for the sestertius, which targeted approximately one Roman ounce (uncia), or between 26.0 and 28.5 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 34 and 37 millimeters. Die axes were predominantly aligned at 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock, reflecting the disciplined workshop practices of the urban mint. Flans were cast in individual molds or prepared in strips before being trimmed and heated for striking between heavy iron dies. The execution of the dies demonstrates the refined classical style characteristic of the early Tiberian urban workshops, featuring deeply engraved cornucopias, expressive modeling of the twin boys, and crisply executed lettering.

Obverse Design and Allegorical Symbolism

The obverse design of RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 is an intricate allegorical composition lacking an accompanying inscription, allowing the visual symbols to convey their dynastic message directly. Two crossed cornucopias (horns of plenty) curve outward from a central tie, their mouths overflowing with fruits, grapes, and grains. Perched directly above the rim of each horn is the head of a small boy, the two infants turned to face one another in profile. Between the two cornucopias stands an upright, winged caduceus, the staff of Mercury. The confronting portrait heads represent the twin sons of Drusus and his wife Livilla, born in AD 19: Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus (often called Tiberius Gemellus) and his twin brother Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus Gemellus. Tacitus records that the birth of male twins was an event of great pride for Tiberius, who boasted in the Senate that no Roman of comparable rank had previously fathered twins. The numismatic composition ingeniously integrates the infants into traditional symbols of prosperity and state well-being: the cornucopias symbolize the fertility and abundance (ubertas and felicitas) bestowed upon the Roman world by the Julio-Claudian dynasty, while the central caduceus symbolizes concordia, peace, and commercial prosperity under divine favor.

Reverse Typology

The reverse of RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 is striking in its monumental simplicity. The center of the coin field is dominated by the large initials S C, standing for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). This central emblem is encircled by a peripheral legend that begins at the lower left and runs clockwise around the rim, identifying Drusus Caesar as the magistrate in whose honor and office the issue was prepared. This reverse composition, which pairs an iconic, uncluttered central inscription with a detailed peripheral titular legend, was a hallmark of senatorial bronze under Tiberius. By ceding the central field to the senatorial authority mark S C while reserving the circumscription for imperial titles, the design visually reinforced the constitutional partnership between princeps, dynasty, and Senate that Tiberius publicly cultivated throughout his reign.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse of RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 is anepigraphic, bearing no legend and relying entirely on its rich visual allegory. The reverse carries a single, complete titular inscription framing the large central letters S C: DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N PONT TR POT II Expanded, this epigraphic text reads: 'Drusus Caesar, Tiberii Augusti filius, Divi Augusti nepos, Pontifex, Tribunicia Potestate secundum.' In English, this translates to: 'Drusus Caesar, son of Tiberius Augustus, grandson of the deified Augustus, Pontiff, invested with tribunician power for the second time.' Every element of this legend served an explicit constitutional and ideological purpose. By naming Drusus as the son of Tiberius and grandson of Divus Augustus, the inscription traced an unbroken lineage to the founder of the principate. His membership in the prestigious college of pontiffs (PONT) signaled religious legitimacy, while the designation of his second tribunician year (TR POT II) firmly anchored his civil authority as co-regent. Epigraphically, the lettering is executed in elegant, formal Roman lapidary capitals with neat triangular serifs and precise interpuncts.

Typology and Chronological Placement

In the revised classification of Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I, C.H.V. Sutherland catalogs this specific issue under number 42 within the reign of Tiberius. The chronology of the type is exceptionally tight and well-defined by Drusus's tribunician dating. Tiberius formally proposed tribunician power for Drusus in the spring of AD 22, and Drusus entered his second tribunician year (TR POT II) in the spring of AD 23. The striking of RIC 42 occurred within this second tribunician period, dating the issue squarely to AD 22-23. The emission came to an abrupt and tragic halt in September AD 23, when Drusus died suddenly at the age of thirty-six, a death later attributed to poison administered by his wife Livilla in conspiracy with the praetorian prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus. One of the twins, Germanicus Gemellus, died in early childhood around the same period (AD 23), leaving Tiberius Gemellus as the sole surviving twin. Because the coin celebrates both living twins and Drusus's active tribunician power, its production window is strictly confined to late AD 22 through the summer of AD 23.

Circulation, Hoards, and Survival

As high-value base-metal coin, sestertii of the Julio-Claudian period circulated extensively throughout the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Italy, Gaul, Hispania, and the Rhine frontier where legionary concentrations generated intense monetary demand. Excavations and stray finds demonstrate that orichalcum sestertii remained in active circulation for decades, frequently surviving in circulation pools well into the Flavian and Trajanic eras until withdrawn or replaced by subsequent bronze reform emissions. Because RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42 was struck during a narrow operational window in AD 22-23, it represents a compact and highly recognizable component of early Tiberian bronze hoards. Surviving specimens frequently show moderate to heavy wear from extended commercial use, along with characteristic surface patinas ranging from deep olive-green to dark brown or riverine black. Well-preserved specimens retaining full details of the infant portraiture and crisp reverse lettering are comparatively scarce, making this issue one of the most historically studied bronze types of early imperial Rome.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 133-134, nos. 95-97
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 42. ric.1(2).tib.42
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (revised edition). p. 97, no. 42
4. Tacitus: The Annals, Books II-IV. Ann. 2.84, 3.56, 4.8