Diva Faustina I AR Denarius AETERNITAS with Phoenix Rome AD 141 RIC III 347

Faustina I (Diva), Denarius, silver, posthumous under Antoninus Pius, AD 141; 2.79 g, 18 mm; Rome mint. Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right, hair elaborately waved in several loops and drawn up into a high coil. Reverse: AETERNITAS, Aeternitas standing left, holding a phoenix on extended right hand and raising the fold of her skirt with left. Struck on a slightly irregular flan; obverse well centered with legend largely complete; reverse a touch off center with peripheral softness and light surface marks. Reference: RIC III Antoninus Pius 347.

Issued immediately after her deification in AD 140–141, this denarius publicizes the new state cult of Faustina the Elder. The reverse type with AETERNITAS and the phoenix denotes immortality and the permanence of the imperial house, complementing Antoninus Pius’s dedication of the Temple of Diva Faustina in the Roman Forum and the broader commemorative coinage that followed her consecration.