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

Diva Faustina I (the Elder), Denarius, silver, posthumous issue under Antoninus Pius, AD 141, Rome; 3.30 g; 18 mm. DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right, hair elaborately waved in several loops around the head and drawn up in a high coil. AETERNITAS, Aeternitas standing left, holding a phoenix on her extended right hand and raising the fold of her skirt with left. Struck on a compact flan with slight high-point softness and a minor edge fissure at 6 o’clock; dies aligned about 6h. Reference: RIC III Antoninus Pius 347.

Issued shortly after Faustina’s death in AD 140 and her deification by the Senate, this commemorative denarius belongs to the inaugural series honoring the new state goddess. The phoenix in Aeternitas’ hand symbolizes rebirth and the promise of eternal life, reinforcing the empress’s apotheosis and the continuity of the imperial house. In the same year, Antoninus Pius established the Temple of Diva Faustina in the Roman Forum and charitable foundations in her name, using this coinage to advertise those acts across the empire.