Caracalla (198-217), antoninianus. Obv.: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, radiate draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from front Rev.: P M TR P XVIII COS III P P, Sol radiate standing facing head left, raising right hand and holding globe For many people today, the emperor we call Caracalla was nothing but a psychopath, a semi-lunatic tyrant, a "bad emperor". It's mostly because of Cassius Dio who hated him and made him a super villain in his Roman History. No surprise : Cassius Dio was a senator and Caracalla's policy favoured the army and the troops, which meant exacting more taxes from the wealthy, especially the senators. His name at birth was Lucius Septimius Bassianus. He was born in Lugdunum (Lyons) in 188. In 195 his father Septimius Severus made him Caesar at the age of 6 and officially changed his name for Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Three years later, he made him Augustus in association with himself at the age of 9. Caracalla was one of these junior emperors associated with their own father and who, as long as their father was living, had no legitimacy for taking any decision on their own. But when Septimius Severus died in 211, and when Caracalla had eliminated his brother and co-emperor Geta in 212, things changed. At the age of 23 he found himself the only emperor, at last! He immediately made important reforms he probably had in mind long before. The most important one was the "Antoninian Constitution", a law that granted full Roman citizenship to all citizens of the Empire (excluding of course slaves and "dediticii", barbarians who had surrendered to the Romans). From Great Britain to Arabia, all citizens would now have the same status, same rights and of course same duties. The Roman law would now become universal. This was a revolution that deeply changed the very nature of the Roman Empire. In 215 he issued a new coin, the silver double-denarius called "antoninianus" because the first ones bore his name and effigy. This coin would be called antoninianus even under his successors (same phenomenon in modern France where the 20 Francs gold coins minted from 1803 to 1914 are called "napoléons", even those minted after 1815 with other names and effigies). "Antoninianus" because his names and titles were the only legend: his names are written on obverse, followed by his titles on reverse, making a single formula like on milestones for example. Only exception, the antoniniani with Venus Victrix on reverse, obviously an homage to his mother Julia Domna. The antoninianus had an official value of 2 denarii but contained as mutch fine silver as 1.6 denarius, officially disconnecting the face value from the intrinsic value of the precious metal. These coins had also a better ergonomy than older coins : their low relief allowed them to be stacked, which was impossible with denarii. All later coins followed this low relief standard until today... Numismatically speaking, we can say the antoninianus was another revolution. It was issued by Caracalla, Macrinus and Elagabalus; emissions halted c. 220 AD and resumed only in 238 under Balbinus and Pupienus. The old denarii then gradually ceased to be minted after nearly 500 years of existence, and the antoninianus became the only white coin in the Empire. Caracalla raised the soldiers' pay by 50%. A legionary soldier earned 300 denarii under Domitian, 400 d. under Septimius Severus, and 600 d. under Caracalla. This payrise must be connected with the institution of the antoninianus : if the soldiers were paid with antoniniani, which is very likely, the needed quantity of fine silver remained roughly the same as before... Caracalla seems to have been a hard working emperor. When abroad during his military campaigns he was followed by his staff and administration, as if he was still in his palace on the Palatine hill. He received ambassadors from the cities, and sometimes personally presided over the imperial court. He wanted to be familiar with his troops and, when in campaign, had the same food as his soldiers' rations. Like every soldier, he had his own satirical nickname. The men wore a hooded tunic called a "caraca" (a Gaulish word which became the English "cloak"). "Caracalla" is the diminutive form of "caraca" and means "little cloak". Being rather short, the emperor wore a "caracalla", S size...
Interesting read and a good looking antoninianus. I only have one coin of Caracalla, a denarius. CARACALLA AR Denarius. Victoria - VICT PART MAX. Obverse: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Reverse: VICT PART MAX. Victory advancing left, holding palm and wreath. A good example of this interesting coin, celebrating the roman victory over the Parthian empire during the reign of Septimius Severus. RIC IV-1 144a. RSC 660. Rome mint, A.D. 204. 3,2 g - 18 mm.
It's AR 23.5 mm, 5.23 g, 6 h. I don't think the flan is particularly broad, most of Caracalla's antoniniani are like this. It's difficult, even impossible to make a stack of more than 4 denarii, but it's possible with antoniniani.
Very nice radiate AE coin of Nicomedia ! It is RPC V.2, — (unassigned; ID 73713). You should send this picture, with the diameter, weight and reverse orientation, to the Roman Provincial Coins site ! They know only 2 specimens, but not well preserved like yours ! Your nice specimen seems to be an unpublished variant : Caracalla's bust is naked, when nearly all other radiate busts of this emperor at Nicomedia are draped and cuirassed. Your coin with Tyche on reverse is obverse die linked with 4 others ( two RPC V.2, — (unassigned; ID 73677) and two RPC V.2, — (unassigned; ID 72858) ) with Athena or Demeter on reverse.
This is the ID information I have in my catalog: CARACALLA AE23 OBVERSE: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind REVERSE: NIKOMHDEΩN ΔIC NEΩKOPΩN, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia Struck at BITHYNIA, Nicomedia, 198-217 AD 7.1g, 23mm RG 234; WADD RG S546,234(1-3) If this is wrong, please let me know
I think everyone is missing the point that Ant's of Caracalla and a few other emperor's are uncommon. I have many denarii of Caracalla but no antoninianus.
On your coin the bust is not draped and cuirassed. It's another kind of obverse die, an unpublished variant.
Caracalla (198 - 217 A.D.) AR Antoninianus O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, Radiate, bearded and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. R: P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P, Jupiter seated left, holding Nike and scepter; at feet to left, eagle standing left, head right. Rome Mint, 215 A.D. 5.5g 24mm RIC IV 260v; RSC 277b
TR P XVIII corresponds to 215, so your nice example is from the first year of issue. Here are some others from that same year, with Jupiter and thunderbolt, radiate lion (and thunderbolt), and Serapis, respectively.
RPC has published this coin on line. If I read their description correctly, they know of only this specimen.
