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This series is composed of antoninians, the most common currency circulating during the Mid Third Century A.D.
The average weight of these coins is 3.7 grams and the mode on 3.8 grams. Their alloy is of billon silver, with occasional silver plated, ‘fourré’ coins.
Iconographically, the obverse of these coins depicts the radiate head or bust of a restituted emperor, typical of the male images on other antoninians of this period. Two reverse types exist: a funeral pyre, and an eagle with outspread wings.
The obverse legend is: DIVO plus the name of the restituted emperor in dative, while the reverse legend is CONSECRATIO.
This restitution series does not contain the name of the restorer, but only that of the restituted emperor. This omission is common when honoring recently deceased emperors, but in cases where emperors honored predecessors from the more distant past, the coins often indicated the name of the emperor responsible of the restoration issue; highly useful information for dating coins, but not available in our case.
The list of restituted emperors raises several questions by its inclusions and omissions. Our modern view of each Roman emperor is based on a wide range of historical and archaeological sources, that are however, fragmentary and distant in time. In ancient times, the opinion of previous rulers could vary from one reign to the next, or according to changing political events.
Some emperors honored in this series are not a surprise to modern viewers: Augustus, Trajan, Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius. What is a surprise is the scarcity of coins we have for this last emperor, so highly regarded today, when those of his son Commodus are much more abundant. We therefore sense that the image of Commodus today is far from what it may have had in the middle of the 3rd century, given the representation of him in this restitution series. We will see in the corresponding section that these differences correspond to a lower investment of work at the time of production and not to a later selective loss.
It is also necessary to mention some clear omissions in this series: Julius Caesar as dictator was deified or Claudius and Lucius Verus were deified as emperors (1).
The following table shows the different proportions of obverse and reverse types.
|
Obverse Type Emperor |
Total Coins |
% |
Reverse type Eagle |
% |
Reverse type Pyre |
% |
| Augusto | 318 | 11% | 88 | 8% | 230 | 13% |
| Vespasiano | 316 | 11% | 135 | 13% | 181 | 10% |
| Tito | 250 | 9% | 93 | 9% | 157 | 9% |
| Nervae | 135 | 5% | 39 | 4% | 96 | 6% |
| Traiano | 408 | 15% | 132 | 12% | 276 | 16% |
| Hadriano | 90 | 3% | 61 | 6% | 29 | 2% |
| Antonino P. | 541 | 19% | 133 | 12% | 408 | 24% |
| Marco | 98 | 4% | 59 | 6% | 39 | 2% |
| Commodo | 231 | 8% | 110 | 10% | 121 | 7% |
| Severo | 107 | 4% | 71 | 7% | 36 | 2% |
| Alexandro | 304 | 11% | 151 | 14% | 153 | 9% |
| Total | 2798 | 100% | 1072 | 38% | 1726 | 62% |
(1) Some comments on these selection criteria for "good" emperors can be found in:
Mattingly, H. et al., Roman Imperial Coinage, IV, Part 3, Londres, 1923-1994, p. 117.
Meyer, J., Consecration issues commemorated the deification of the Roman emperor, The Celator, 6, Mayo 1992, núm. 5, p. 6-20
Sviatoslav, D., Good Emperors and Emperors of the Third Century, Hermes, 132/2, 2004, p. 211-224.
