Faustina Friday – SAECVLI FELICIT: The Happiness of the Age!

The portico of the Sanctuary of Juno Sospita at Lanuvium. Photo by Carole Raddato and used with permission.​

It's another sweltering August day in the year 914 Ab urbe condita (AD 161). It's 32 Celsius (90° F) in the village of Lanuvium and it's not even midday. The empress and her family have fled the heat and hubbub of the city of Rome, 32 km (20 miles) to the northwest, to stay at her late-father's ancestral villa in the Alban hills. Faustina, nearing the end of her pregnancy – twins, no less – sits in the shade of an umbrella in the courtyard, drinking a tall glass of water. It's a private area and she has no visitors apart from the slave girls who bring her water and tie the calcei around her swollen ankles. The empress' two oldest daughters, twelve-year-old Lucilla and ten-year-old Faustina III, have taken a break from their Greek lessons and are elsewhere in the villa, in the nursery, playing peek-a-boo with their little sisters, the two-year-old Fadilla and Cornificia, who has just turned one.

Here the empress may dress down for the heat, wearing only a stola over a sleeveless tunica intima, without the need for a palla to preserve her modesty; she's sweating enough as it is. There's not a cloud in the sky, for it rains only one or two days in August. Even though it is less humid in the hills of Lanuvium than in Rome, the empress is miserable. Inside her, the twins move every few minutes. Faustina winces as she experiences yet another Braxton-Hicks contraction, a foretaste of the labor to come. But the slave girls know it's not yet time to fetch the midwife. They have seen their mistress through several pregnancies before.

Antoninus Pius has been dead merely five months, leaving Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus to rule side-by-side. As an emperor, Marcus is preoccupied, refusing to take his friend Fronto's advice to rest. He is too anxious to relax. The eastern front is a mess. Marcus Attidius Cornelianus' army had been defeated in battle against the Parthians and retreated in disarray. Reinforcements needed to be dispatched to the Parthian frontier and three full legions had been sent east: I Minervia from Bonn in Upper Germany, II Adiutrix from Aquincum, and V Macedonica from Troesmis. The northern frontiers are weakened; frontier governors are doing their best to avoid conflict wherever possible. Lucius Verus may soon have to go to the eastern front to deal with things in person.

And there is still no male heir. All of Faustina and Marcus' sons have died. Neither extreme wealth nor the imperial physician Galen could save them from the childhood viruses and bacteria that ravage humankind. The death of his sons weighs heavy on the emperor, who consoles himself with stoic philosophy. What if these unborn twins are girls too?

On the last day of the month of August, Faustina's water breaks, the slave girls fetch the midwife, and twins are born! They are boys! BOYS! The emperor has a successor, the firstborn of the twins, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus! And should it be the will of the gods that something happen to Antoninus, his younger brother Commodus will be there to take his place. It is cause to celebrate the happiness of the age, sæculi felicitati!

Plaque depicting a birthing scene excavated at Ostia, Italy. British Museum.​

Coins are issued in all metals to celebrate the happy event! They depict the heir and his younger twin Commodus on a pulvinar, a couch dedicated to the gods. The coins depict the empress either bare-headed (all metals), or wearing the stephane (AR and Æ), a crown worn only by goddesses and the empress. Many dies depict the boys with a star above each of their heads, likening them to the Dioscuri. The symbolism is clear to the Roman people. By appearing on coins with the headgear of the gods, the couches of the gods, and with the stars of the Dioscuri, the Empress and her boys are the earthly equivalents of the gods of the pantheon.

Unless otherwise noted (the aureus and the MB with the veiled bust), all of the coins illustrated are from my own collection. Please post anything you feel is relevant!

Roman Ꜹ aureus, RIC 709. Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.(Triton XIX), 5 January 2016, lot 575.​

Faustina Junior, AD 147 – 175.
Roman AR denarius, 3.22 g, 17.0 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 161.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT, Throne, upon which are seated two infant boys, Antoninus and Commodus.
Refs: RIC 711; BMCRE 136; Cohen 191; RCV 5260 var. (no stephane); CRE 221; MIR27-4/10a, b.​

Faustina Junior, AD 147 – 175.
Roman AR denarius; 3.36 g, 17.1 mm, 6 h.
Rome, AD 161.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust, right, wearing stephane.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT, Throne, upon which are seated two infant boys, Antoninus and Commodus.
Refs: RIC 712; BMCRE 139; Cohen 191; RCV 5260; CRE 222; MIR 27-4/10a, b Diad.​

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.65 g, 30.4 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 161.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT SC, draped throne on which there are two infant boys, Antoninus and Commodus, with stars above their heads.
Refs: RIC 1665; BMCRE 936; Cohen 193; RCV 5282; MIR27-6/10a.​

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.65 g, 30.4 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 161.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust, right, wearing stephane.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT SC, draped throne on which there are two infant boys, Antoninus and Commodus, with stars above their heads.
Refs: RIC 1665n; BMCRE 939, 941; Cohen 193; RCV –; MIR27-6/10a, b Diad.​

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman Æ as, 9.78 g, 26.1 mm, 5 h.
Rome, AD 161.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, r.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT SC, draped throne on which there are two infant boys with stars above their heads.
Refs: RIC 1666; BMCRE 991; Cohen 194; RCV 5302.
Notes: Ex Henry Clay Lindgren.​

Roman Æ as or dupondius, RIC—; BMCRE 991n. Münzen & Medaillen GmbH (Auction 41), 11 December 2014, lot 154.​

 

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What a charming and evocative story, RC!

The coin below isn't a SAECVLI FELICIT type, but the Juno Sospita reverse celebrates Lanuvium, where Commodus was born.


COMMODUS
AR Denarius. 3.33g, 18mm. Rome mint, Autumn - Dec AD 177. RIC (Marcus Aurelius) 646; Cohen 270. O: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG GERM SARM, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: IVNONI SISPITAE TR P II IMP II COS P P, Juno Sospita, advancing right, brandishing javelin in right hand and holding shield in left; in front, snake.

 

Fantastic coin, @zumbly! I need one of those now! And very relevant to the story of Commodus' birth, indeed!

 

Great writeup!

I chose the type as my "main" Faustina II for my collection - I saw her bust and just had to have it!

 

Another great Faustina Friday writeup, RC.

Here is my SAECVLI FELICIT denarius.

 

LOVE your story telling abilities RC! This was a real pleasure to read
I've missed out on this popular type several times (which, as a father of twins, is a massive failing on my part) so will have to show Commodus brother(?)


Anonymous AE Quadrans (18 mm, 2.70 g). Time of Domitian to Antoninus Pius. Rome, AD 81-161.
Obv. Youthful veiled head of Annius Verus (?) as the personification of Winter to right, wearing wreath of reeds.
Rev. S•C within olive wreath fastened with jewel at apex.
Van Heesch pl. 25, 3; RIC 35.
Very rare. River patina. Fine.
Purchased from Auctiones gmbh March 2021

And another Faust...a, with twins;

Fausta

Æ Nummus. Siscia, AD 326. FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG, draped bust right, wearing pearled necklace / SPES REI P-VLICAE, Empress or Salus standing facing, head left, cradling two infants in her arms; •∆SIS•. RIC VII 205;

 

This is why I decided to join your group; you bring to life again the graven images set in metal. Bless you for your splendid storytelling abilities.

 

I have two coins showing the famous twins, one without and one with the stars above their heads:

Faustina II [Junior] (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 161 AD. Obv. Draped bust right, hair in chignon behind, wearing stephane, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Two infant boys seated on draped throne (pulvinar), each raising an arm towards the other, with hands touching [compass dot between them], SAECVLI FELICIT. RIC III [Marcus Aurelius] 712, RSC II 191 [variety without stars above boys’ heads], Sear RCV II 5260 (ill.), BMCRE 139, Dinsdale 005600(a) [Dinsdale, Paul H., The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus, Ch. 4, Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf) at p. 57; photo at p. 62]. 17.5 mm., 3.39 g., 12h. [The two infant boys are Faustina II’s twin sons b. 31 Aug 161 AD: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, the ninth and tenth children of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II.]



Faustina II (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AE Sestertius, ca. 161 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, low chignon at back of head, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Felicitas (or Faustina as Fecunditas) standing left, between four girls (two standing at each side), holding two infants in her arms, each with a star over its head (representing the Dioscuri), TEMPOR FELIC [-IC almost entirely worn off], S - C across fields. RIC III 1673 (at p. 147), var. [no stars above infants’ heads]; BMCRE MA 949 var [same]; Cohen 222; Dinsdale 006760 & n. 1 [Dinsdale, Paul H., The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus, Ch. 4, Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf) at p. 70] (“Minor rev. variation: sometimes each infant held in arms has star above head”). 31 mm., 24 gm. Purchased from Victor’s Imperial Coins, March 2021. Ex. CNG E-Auction 476, 9/09/2020, part of Lot 762; ex. BLS Collection.*



*This variation of RIC III 1673 (with stars above the two infants’ heads) is unlisted in RIC or BMCRE, and appears to be mentioned only in the footnote to Dinsdale 006760. (RIC III 1677 does have stars above the infants’ heads, but is an as, not a sestertius.) Of the 14 other examples found on acsearch of RIC 1673 and 1674 (the same design as 1673 but with a diadem on Faustina’s head; see Sear RCV II 5284), only one other example (of RIC 1673) has the stars above the infants’ heads. See https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913 (Numismatik Naumann, Auction 80, Lot 568, 4 Aug 2019).

The four girls standing on either side of Felicitas on the reverse of this type have been identified as Marcus Aurelius’s and Faustina II’s daughters Annia Faustina (a/k/a Faustina III), Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia -- the last of whom was born in 160 AD. The two infants held in her arms have been identified as Faustina II’s twin sons b. 31 Aug 161 AD: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, the ninth and tenth children of the royal couple. See Foss, Roman Historical Coins.