Marcus Aurelius, 161-180, Denarius

Marcus Aurelius, denarius, AR, reign 161–180 AD, Rome mint, circa AD 165–166, 2.77 g, 18 mm. Obverse with laureate head of Marcus Aurelius right; legend M ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS. Reverse with legend P M TR P XIX IMP III COS III surrounding the reverse type; well centered with legible legends and even metal, struck from fresh dies with light circulation wear. RIC III Marcus Aurelius 143.

The obverse title ARMENIACVS and the reverse dating formula TR P XIX place this issue in the period following Rome’s success in the Armenian theatre during the Parthian War under Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, reflecting the imperial practice of advertising victory titles on the coinage while the reverse tribunician and consular numeration provides a precise chronological marker for the emperor’s ongoing constitutional powers.