The Coinage of MARCUS AURELIUS

The first half of the Second Century A.D. marked a period of prosperity within the Roman Empire. Wars had been fought and won by Augustus, and borders were established. These borders of the Empire had been successfully consolidated and secured later after the brilliant reigns of Trajan and Hadrian

- TIMOTHY. M. RYAN

For decades, emperors followed a tradition of adopting the most competent heir to continue the emperor’s legacy. Antoninus Pius followed as the adopted heir to Hadrian, conditional upon him also declaring Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as his adoptive sons. This was a distinct contrast to the past, where the Julio-Claudian and Flavian families treated the office of Augustus as a hereditary throne. Through trial and error, Rome had learned that family ties weren’t always the soundest decision when ruling an empire.

HEIR TO THE THRONE 

Antoninus wasted no time in thrusting Marcus Aurelius into the political scene, minting coins to celebrate his accession to the consul in 140 A.D. at just 19 years old. A silver denarius commemorates this event, with the emperor Antoninus shown on the obverse and a young Marcus on the reverse. Within the inscription on the reverse can be seen “COS”, indicating the title of consul. The consul was a traditional position that represented the highest elected political office first created during the Roman Republic. Romans considered this position the highest level of the “Cursus Honorum,” a sequence of public offices with increased power and responsibility. Consuls were elected to office and held this position for one year. Marcus would hold the rank of Caesar for 22 years under Pius while being raised by his mother Domitia Lucilla.

SOLIDIFYING A LEGACY