Marcus Aurelius, 161-180. Medallion (Bronze, 39 mm, 38.28 g, 12 h), Rome, 173/4. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVIII Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Marcus Aurelius to right, seen from behind. Rev. IMP VI COS III / ADVENTVS AVG Marcus Aurelius, in military attire, holding spear in his right hand and trophy over his left shoulder, advancing right toward Domitian's triumphal arch which is surmounted by a quadriga of elephants; in front of him, two signiferi advancing right, the one in the foreground carrying an aquila, the one in the background a vexillum; behind the emperor, Victory advancing right and crowning him with a wreath; to left, a lighted altar; in the background, the Temple of Fortuna Redux with a tower-like structure with arch and window behind. Cohen 361. Gnecchi II, p. 27, 3 and pl. 59, 5. (same reverse die). MIR 1054-1/35. Mittag 42.1 (same dies). Extremely rare. A lovely medallion with attractive earthen highlights and a very interesting reverse. Slightly rough and with minor deposits, otherwise, very fine.


The particularly detailed reverse of this medallion probably depicts the monuments erected by Domitian to mark his entry into Rome: a round temple in honor of Fortuna Redux and a triumphal arch surmounted by two elephant quadrigae. The last of the Flavians did not erect these buildings within the city itself, but rather at the pomerium on the Via Flaminia, the sacred boundary separating Rome from its surrounding territory. The identification of the tower-like structure in the background remains uncertain: it may represent a more recent building, or else be intended to evoke the city’s expansion in the second century (cf. Mittag, pp. 43-44).

Why Marcus Aurelius struck this type in 172/3 and again in 173/4 is unclear, since the historiographical sources state unequivocally that the emperor did not return from the Marcomannic Wars until 176. Perhaps an earlier return had been planned and the striking of appropriate commemorative medallions had already begun, but renewed fighting on the Danube frontier put an end to these plans. That, however, would mean that the same error occurred twice, which would be somewhat surprising. The precise circumstances surrounding our medallion, which belongs to the much rarer second issue, therefore remain unclear.