Antoninus Pius, denarius, silver, reign 138-161, minted 155-156

Antoninus Pius, denarius, silver, reign 138-161, minted 155-156, weight 3.17 g, diameter 18 mm. Obverse: laureate head right; legend ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P IMP II. Reverse: Annona standing left, draped, holding two grain-ears downward in right hand, resting left hand on a modius set on the prow of a ship; a rudder leans against the prow; legend TR POT XIX COS IIII. Strike: hammered Roman Imperial, generally well-centered with full legends. Toning: light uniform grey with scattered darker highlights. References: RIC III 249; BMCRE 1030; RSC 384; Cohen 397. Issued at Rome during Antoninus Pius’s nineteenth tribunician year, the coin advertises the emperor’s care for the grain supply through the figure of Annona, a personification of Rome’s food provisioning. The modius, grain-ears, and ship’s prow refer to the import of grain, mainly from Africa and Egypt, while the rudder symbolizes control of maritime transport. The titulature records his fourth consulship and second imperatorial acclamation, allowing precise dating to 155-156. Denarii of this period circulated widely across the empire, facilitating both military payments and civilian commerce, and served as mobile propaganda reinforcing the emperor’s image as provider and stable ruler.