Silver denarius of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–180), struck at the Rome mint in AD 175–176, belongs to a series issued in the later phase of his reign, during the period of intensive military campaigns along the Danubian frontier against Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. These conflicts are well documented in ancient sources, particularly in the writings of Cassius Dio, who describes the prolonged struggles known in modern historiography as the Marcomannic Wars.
The obverse displays the laureate head of the emperor facing right with the legend M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM. This inscription contains part of the official titulature of Marcus Aurelius together with the victory titles Germanicus and Sarmaticus, adopted following successes achieved against these peoples along the Danube. Such titulature appears in imperial coinage during the later years of his reign and serves as an important chronological indicator for issues struck after the main phases of these campaigns.
The reverse depicts the personification of Felicitas standing left, holding a caduceus and a cornucopia, with the legend TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III. The designation TR P XXX refers to the thirtieth tribunician power of Marcus Aurelius and allows the issue to be dated to AD 175–176, while IMP VIII records the emperor’s eighth acclamation as imperator, a formal recognition of military victory by the Roman army. In Roman monetary iconography Felicitas represented prosperity and good fortune of the state, and the combination of the caduceus, an attribute associated with harmony and peace, together with the cornucopia, symbolizing abundance, conveyed the idea of prosperity arising from political stability and successful military leadership.
Scratched.
Roman Imperial
Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Denarius 174-175, Rome mint
Obverse: laureate head right
M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM
Reverse: Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae
TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III
Diameter 18 mm, weight 3.20 g
