Diva Faustina I AR Denarius, Rome AD 141, posthumous, Aeternitas & phoenix

Faustina I (Diva Faustina), Denarius, silver, posthumous issue under Antoninus Pius, Rome, AD 141; 3.30 g; 18 mm. Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA; draped bust right, hair elaborately waved in several loops around the head and drawn up in a high coil. Reverse: AETERNITAS; Aeternitas standing left, holding phoenix on extended right hand and raising fold of skirt with left. Struck at Rome with die axis 6h; standard denarius fabric for the issue. Reference: RIC III Antoninus Pius 347. Issued shortly after Faustina’s death in AD 140, this posthumous denarius belongs to the inaugural deification series of AD 141 that promoted her consecration by the Senate and Antoninus Pius. The reverse type with Aeternitas and the phoenix—an emblem of rebirth—communicated the doctrine of eternal life accorded to the deified empress, aligning with the dedication of the Temple of Diva Faustina in the Roman Forum and the establishment of the Puellae Faustinianae charitable foundation.