Volusian Bronze As RIC IV Volusian 249B

Monetary Context

During the mid-third century AD, the traditional Augustan denomination system based on fine silver and orichalcum or copper fractions was experiencing structural erosion. The reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian (AD 251 to 253) occurred amid severe military crises along the northern and eastern frontiers, compounded by the devastating Plague of Cyprian. State expenditures were predominantly settled in increasingly debased antoniniani (double denarii), which caused older high-purity silver and base-metal denominations to recede in production volume. The copper as had long functioned as a primary everyday transactional unit across the empire, but spiraling inflation diminished its purchasing power. By the early 250s AD, imperial mints struck base-metal denominations such as the as and sestertius in smaller quantities than in earlier decades, occasionally producing them to maintain civic continuity and satisfy the nominal authority of the Senate symbolized by the S C formula.

Production and Mints

RIC IV Volusian 249B was produced at the primary imperial mint in Rome. Under Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, the Rome mint operated with multiple officinae organized primarily to execute voluminous emissions of base silver radiates. Copper-alloy production, including the striking of asses, was integrated into these workshop cycles, sharing artistic personnel, engraving techniques, and stylistic traits with contemporaneous sestertii and dupondii. Asses were hot-struck on cast flans made of unalloyed copper or heavily copper-dominated bronze alloys. As with most mid-third-century aes coinage, standard target weights varied considerably across batches, with average weights commonly falling between 8 and 11 grams and flan diameters typically spanning 23 to 26 millimeters. The presence of the senatorial sanction formula S C (Senatus Consulto) reflects the persistence of traditional administrative divisions at Rome, even as imperial administration exercised comprehensive operational control.

Obverse Characteristics

The obverse of this issue presents a right-facing bust of Volusian. In accordance with established imperial conventions distinguishing the as from the radiate-crowned dupondius, Volusian is depicted wearing a laurel wreath rather than a radiate crown. The portrait is executed with full military and civic attire, featuring both drapery (paludamentum) and cuirass visible at the shoulder and chest. The portraiture embodies the soldier-emperor aesthetic of the era, marked by short, cropped hair, a closely trimmed beard, and stylized, planar facial features. The surrounding inscription reads IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, rendered in compact epigraphic capitals encircling the portrait.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse design centers upon the personification of Concordia, embodying the concept of imperial harmony and mutual trust. Concordia stands facing left, robed in traditional flowing drapery. In her extended right hand, she holds a patera, a shallow libation dish used in sacred sacrifices to indicate piety and divine sanction. In her left arm, she cradles a double cornucopiae, symbolizing abundance, fertility, and the prosperous yield assured by a harmonious regime. Flanking the lower fields of the figure are the large letters S and C, positioned to the left and right respectively. The composition represents a standard motif of third-century collegial rule, actively utilized to convince the military, the Senate, and the provincial population of unity within the imperial household.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse legend reads IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, expanding as Imperatori Caesari Caio Vibio Volusiano Augusto ('To the Emperor Caesar Caius Vibius Volusianus Augustus'). The titular formula presents Volusian with the formal honours of a full co-emperor, placing his praenomen and gentilicium in the dative or nominative case typical of third-century honorific framing. The reverse legend reads CONCORDIA AVGG, expanding to Concordia Augustorum ('The Harmony of the two Augusti'), accompanied by S C in the field for Senatus Consulto ('By decree of the Senate'). The use of the double 'G' at the conclusion of AVGG specifically denotes that two living emperors ruled concurrently, explicitly tying the coin issue to the collegial reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian.

Typology and Chronology

In the standard classification established by Harold Mattingly, Edward A. Sydenham, and C. H. V. Sutherland in The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), this specific reverse and obverse combination is catalogued as RIC IV Volusian 249B. Volusian was initially elevated to the rank of Caesar in mid-AD 251 following the deaths of Decius and Herennius Etruscus, and subsequently advanced to Augustus in late AD 251 after the death of Hostilian. Because the obverse of RIC IV 249B styles Volusian as Augustus and the reverse explicitly proclaims CONCORDIA AVGG, the issue is securely positioned between late AD 251 and the collapse of the dynasty in the summer of AD 253. Typologically, it forms the as denomination counterpart to corresponding sestertii and radiates sharing the same Concordia motif.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Bronze asses from the joint reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian had a limited circulation pattern compared to early imperial aes issues. Archaeological site finds from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, and northern Gaul demonstrate that third-century bronze coinage experienced sluggish dispersion outside of central Italy and major military administrative centers. High inflation encouraged the public to hoard higher-value metals while spending or melting older, heavier bronze specimens. Consequently, mid-third-century asses are found in modest numbers in mixed site contexts, frequently demonstrating prolonged wear because earlier aes denominations remained in active use alongside scarce newer additions until the monetary reforms of Aurelian.

References

1. Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. pp. 126-157
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. p. 183, no. 249B
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Volusian 249B. ric.4.vo.249B