Rome, after 140 AD. Diva Faustina Senior

Rome, after 140 AD. Diva Faustina Senior, struck by Antoninus Pius for his deified wife. AR denarius, 18 mm, 3.09 g, 6 h. DIVA FAVSTINA – veiled and draped bust of Faustina I right, her hair drawn up beneath a jewelled diadem; dotted border ▸ CONSECRATIO – peacock, symbol of apotheosis, standing right with head turned back left; thin ground-line. RIC III 384b; BMC 476; Cohen 176. Attractive light cabinet tone, delicate portrait modelling, a few harmless mineral deposits, otherwise good very fine.

Faustina the Elder, daughter of the consul M. Annius Verus and wife of the future emperor Antoninus Pius, died suddenly in late 140 AD. Stricken with grief and keenly aware of precedent, Pius secured a senatorial decree granting her divine status; the gold and silver consecratio series that followed became the first sustained Roman coinage dedicated to a woman’s cult. The obverse legend DIVA proclaims her new standing among the immortals, while the reverse peacock—traditional vehicle of Juno and guide of the soul—advertises her ascent to the celestial realm.

Beyond personal piety, the issue played an important political role. By honouring Faustina so lavishly, Antoninus signalled dynastic stability and showcased the emperor’s pietas toward family and Senate alike, calming anxieties after Hadrian’s turbulent final years. The popularity of the type endured: later empresses from Lucilla to Crispina would be commemorated with near-copies, making this denarius the prototype for a century of imperial female portraiture in Rome’s monetary art.