Plotina Orichalcum Sestertius, RIC II Trajan 740

Monetary Context and Imperial Role

During the reign of Trajan, the sestertius served as the flagship base-metal coin of the Roman Empire, combining substantial purchasing power with high public visibility across daily commerce. Struck in orichalcum (a golden-hued brass alloy of copper and zinc), the denomination was valued at four asses or one-quarter of a silver denarius. The monetary reforms initiated in the late Republic and standardized under Augustus positioned the sestertius as the primary medium for major civic transactions, military disbursement accounting, and imperial self-representation. Coins issued for female members of the imperial family fulfilled a delicate ideological function. Roman empresses did not exercise direct constitutional magistracies, meaning their numismatic presence was anchored to moral exemplary status, dynastic continuity, and concordia. The production of RIC II Trajan 740 provided the Roman public with an enduring material reminder of Plotina's august status alongside Trajan's successful governance, serving both an economic and a prominent civic purpose.

Production and Minting Operations

The entire issue of RIC II Trajan 740 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. Operations at the capital mint were organized into distinct workshops (officinae), which maintained strict oversight over weight tolerances, metal composition, and die-engraving quality. Blanks for sestertii were cast in open or two-piece molds before being hot-struck between hand-carved iron dies. The orichalcum alloy provided a bright, brassy appearance distinctly separated from the pure red copper used for smaller asses and quadrantes. Physical parameters recorded across surviving examples typically place the denomination within an average weight range between 24 and 28 grams, with diameters spanning approximately 32 to 35 millimeters. Die orientation across the series frequently adheres to a standard 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock alignment, reflecting the regulated manufacturing standards enforced by the monetary magistrates and imperial freedmen managing the urban mint.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 740 features a right-facing, draped bust of Empress Plotina rendered in high, dignified relief. Her portrait embodies the restrained, classicizing aesthetic favored by the Trajanic court, presenting mature facial contours and serene composure. The hallmark of Plotina's numismatic iconography is her complex, aristocratic hairstyle. The hair is drawn back tightly from the forehead over an elevated crest or diadem-like front structure, braided along the temples, and gathered at the back of the neck into an elongated vertical queue or plait that descends down the nape. Her drapery is arranged in refined folds across the shoulder and bust line. This austere yet intricate presentation was consciously designed to communicate gravitas and traditional Roman modesty (pudicitia), contrasting sharply with the flamboyant, tiered curls characteristic of the preceding Flavian court.

Reverse Iconography: Fides and Agricultural Abundance

The reverse iconography presents the personification of Fides standing and turned toward the right. She is attired in a flowing stola, holding two upright stalks or ears of corn in one hand and supporting a woven basket filled with fruit in the other. In Roman religion and political thought, Fides embodied trustworthiness, fidelity, and adherence to sworn duty. While Fides was frequently associated with military loyalty (Fides Exercituum) or public credit (Fides Publica), her appearance on Plotina's sestertius is enriched by agricultural attributes. The ears of grain and basket of fruit evoke the fruitful blessings and reliable food supply guaranteed by the stable partnership of the imperial house. Flanking the lower fields of the design are the prominent letters S C (Senatus Consulto), confirming the formal decree of the Senate sanctioning the issue of bronze currency.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC II Trajan 740 are concise, elegant, and loaded with constitutional meaning. The obverse legend reads PLOTINA AVG IMP TRAIANI, a formula that abbreviates Plotina Augusta Imperatoris Traiani. Rather than asserting independent rule, the genitive construction explicitly designates Plotina as the Augusta of the Emperor Trajan, linking her honorific elevation to the legal authority of her husband. The lettering is cleanly cut in classical Roman square capitals, evenly spaced along the inner beaded border. The reverse inscription reads FIDES AVGVST, abbreviating Fides Augusta (or Augusti). This legend attributes the quality of divine fidelity directly to the imperial house. The traditional senatorial formula S C occupies the lateral fields, maintaining the venerable constitutional fiction of senatorial authority over base-metal minting even as imperial policy determined typological choices.

Typology and Chronological Placement

RIC II Trajan 740 belongs to a specific typological cluster within the imperial bronze series of Trajan. While the Roman Imperial Coinage framework broadly spans Trajan's entire reign from 98 to 117 AD, historical and numismatic evidence narrows the likely issue date of Plotina's coinage. Plotina initially declined the title Augusta early in Trajan's reign, formally accepting it around 105 AD. Detailed hoard analysis and die studies by Bernhard Woytek (MIR 14) indicate that the substantial substantive output of Plotina's Rome-mint coinage occurred relatively late, primarily between approximately 112 and 115 AD or extending to 117 AD, in conjunction with Trajan's Parthian campaigns and broad dynastic celebrations. The Fides reverse type was struck across denominations, appearing notably on gold aurei and silver denarii as well as this orichalcum sestertius, demonstrating an integrated multi-denominational release.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Although struck in substantial numbers to satisfy regional cash requirements, bronze coins struck for Plotina are far less common in the archaeological record than issues carrying Trajan's own portrait. Sestertii of this type entered general circulation throughout Italy and the western provinces, where base-metal coinage dominated market-level commerce. Due to their durable alloy and high weight, sestertii frequently circulated for several decades, remaining in use alongside issues of Hadrian and the Antonine emperors until normal wear, clipping, or official demonetization removed them from circulation. Specimens recovered from hoards often exhibit significant surface friction and edge wear consistent with prolonged commercial circulation. The presence of RIC II Trajan 740 in mixed second-century deposits underscores its role as fully functioning legal tender rather than a strictly commemorative medal.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 228-229, nos. 1080-1082
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 142-145
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 740. ric.2.tr.740
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 299, no. 740
5. Die Reichspragung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117), Moneta Imperii Romani 14. MIR 14, nos. 710-712