Bronze as of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–161) struck at the Rome mint around AD 140–144, belonging to issues produced in the early phase of his reign, when coin production in Rome continued the stable monetary system established earlier under the Flavian dynasty and during the rule of Hadrian.
The obverse shows the laureate head of the emperor facing right with the legend ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III. This inscription contains the official titulature of the ruler, including the titles Augustus, the cognomen Pius, the honorific Pater Patriae, as well as references to his tribunician power and third consulship (COS III). The combination of these elements allows the issue to be dated to the first years of Antoninus Pius’ reign, when he consolidated power following his adoption by Hadrian and accession to the throne in AD 138.
The reverse depicts the personification Annona standing left. She holds ears of grain above a modius, the vessel used as a standard measure of grain, and a cornucopia, while to the right appears the prow of a ship. The accompanying legend ANNONA AVG refers to the imperial grain supply system responsible for provisioning the city of Rome. The iconography of Annona with grain, the modius, and a ship’s prow is well documented in Roman coinage and symbolizes the maritime transport of grain from the provinces especially Egypt and Africa to the ports of Italy, from where it was distributed to the population of the capital.
Representations of Annona occur in the coinage of Antoninus Pius particularly in the early years of his reign and form part of a broader iconographic program emphasizing the security of the grain supply and the economic stability of the empire. This theme reflects the central importance of the annona system for the functioning of Rome and its urban population, a fact widely attested in both literary sources and modern studies of Roman imperial administration.
Roman Imperial
Antoninus Pius (138-161), As 145-161, Rome mint
Obverse: laureate head right
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III
Reverse: Annona, draped, standing right, holding two corn-ears in right hand over modius and corn-ears and cornucopiae in left, at feet right, prow right, S-C across fields
ANNONA AVG
Diameter 28 mm, weight 11.02 g
