Silver Denarius of Marcus Aurelius as Augustus RIC 178

Silver Denarius (18.5mm 3.69g) Struck AD 168 Rome

Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX Laureate head right

Rev: TR P XXII IMP IIII COS III Aequitas standing left, holding scales and cornucpoia

RIC III 178 Cohen 892 Sears 4936 var
ex. Neptune Numismatics Tom Mullally

The Front (Obverse) – The Emperor's Bragging Rights

The front features a portrait of Marcus Aurelius looking right, wearing a laurel wreath. The Latin inscription wrapped around him reads: M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX

When we expand the abbreviations, it says: Marcus Antoninus Augustus, Armeniacus, Parthicus Maximus.

• M ANTONINVS AVG: This translates to "Marcus Antoninus, Augustus" (Augustus was the official title for the Emperor).
• ARM PARTH MAX: This is where the ancient political messaging comes in. It stands for Armeniacus (Conqueror of Armenia) and Parthicus Maximus (Greatest Conqueror of Parthia). Rome had just wrapped up a massive war against the Parthian Empire (modern-day Iran/Iraq) and its client states. Even though Marcus's co-emperor, Lucius Verus, did most of the actual battlefield commanding, Marcus took the official victory titles to show the public that the empire was safe and victorious under his rule.

The Back (Reverse) – Justice and Plenty

The back of the coin features Aequitas, the Roman goddess of fairness, equality, and fair trade. She is standing and holding two things: a set of scales in one hand and a cornucopia (a horn of plenty overflowing with fruit) in the other.

The text around her is actually a timestamp of when the coin was made: TR P XXII IMP IIII COS III

• TR P XXII: Tribunicia Potestas 22. This means it was Marcus's 22nd year holding the power of a Tribune (a protector of the people). This title was renewed every year, which is how historians know exactly that this coin was made in AD 168.
• IMP IIII: Imperator 4. This means he had been officially hailed as a military victor by his troops four times.
• COS III: Consul 3. He had served as a Roman Consul (the highest elected office) three times.

What was the message?

Roman coins were the ultimate mass media of the ancient world. By combining Marcus's major military victory titles on the front with the goddess of fairness and abundance on the back, the coin sent a comforting message to the Roman public: "Our victorious Emperor has defeated our enemies abroad, bringing fair prices, stable markets, and prosperity back home."