Women on Roman Imperial Coinage

Though it may seem odd to portray women on coins, this was actually not uncommon in the Roman Empire. Emperors put all sorts of relatives on coins, such as nieces, sisters, mothers, or indeed their wives. The most prominent message on these coins was, as it is on this coin, a message of fertility. This ensured the continuity of the imperial family and was thus very important to the emperor as well. Through this, various related messages came into being, such as the image of a happy marriage, because a successful marriage brought forth many children. In this way, a happy royal union displayed on coins actually served as a positive example for the Roman people. This we see on Plautilla’s coinage as well.

Though it may seem odd to portray women on coins, this was actually not uncommon in the Roman Empire. Emperors put all sorts of relatives on coins, such as nieces, sisters, mothers, or indeed their wives. The most prominent message on these coins was, as it is on this coin, a message of fertility. This ensured the continuity of the imperial family and was thus very important to the emperor as well. Through this, various related messages came into being, such as the image of a happy marriage, because a successful marriage brought forth many children. In this way, a happy royal union displayed on coins actually served as a positive example for the Roman people. This we see on Plautilla’s coinage as well.

For the senate, imperial offspring was more important, because if there was an heir related to the previous emperor, chances of a political vacuum and a subsequent political crisis were lower upon the death of the emperor . By portraying mothers or potential mothers on coinage, a message was sent to both the Roman people and the senate that there would be continuity and stability within the empire. In line with this, pudicitia is sometimes portrayed on these coins, which means chastity. This would ensure that the offspring provided by these women was indeed from their husband, the emperor.

From the time of Augustus onwards, women continued to be portrayed on coinage in the place of power. The same messages of unity in marriage and fertility keep coming back. Even so, the wife of the emperor was not the only woman who could be portrayed on a coin; his mother, grandmother and more distant relatives could be depicted as well. Imperial mothers, of course, had proven their worth in bearing royal children, who would later become emperors, and were honored for this by their (grand)sons.

However, women on coins could and did step out of their traditional role and also came to be seen as protectors of the army. The reason for this is that they frequently accompanied their husband on his military campaigns, which ensured they sometimes got the title of mater castrorum or mother of the camp. This first happens under the reign of Marcus Aurelius, who was emperor about two decades before Caracalla. From this title, the women also sometimes became mater senatus, mother of the senate, or mater patriae, mother of the fatherland.

After the death of these women, there were often a couple of coins dedicated in their honor. This only happened when the imperial women were deified. These so-called consecratio-types probably emphasized that the woman, even in death, still looked after the state and had done her duty in being a good wife and/or in providing royal children.

From the time of Antoninus Pius and his successor Marcus Aurelius, the portrayal of women, and especially imperial wives, on coinage really took off. This means that Caracalla’s coin is not really special in portraying Plautilla on coinage, even though their marriage was bad. It may even have been unusual and weird if he did not portray her on a coin. This might have revealed to the audience of the imperial coinage that the marriage was not as good as was expected of Plautilla and Caracalla.

To round off this extension, it is important to realize that not all women on imperial coins were powerless. There were ways in which women could have power in a way that was actually reflected on the coinage of the emperor. The first woman to be depicted on Roman Imperial Coinage, _ while alive_, is Agrippina the Younger. She was very prominent in the first “royal” Roman family, the Julio-Claudians. She is the daughter of Germanicus, an important general under Tiberius, and sister of Caligula, who later became emperor. To top this off, she married Claudius, her nephew, who would become the successor of Caligula. She already had a son, Nero, from a previous marriage. Claudius adopted him, probably because of some political maneuvering of Agrippina, who used her influence on Claudius. Thus Nero would grow up to succeed his father as emperor.

Agrippina first appears on coins as the sister of Claudius, who depicted her among his two other sisters on coinage. This emphasized his lineage, which gave him legitimacy as an emperor. We can say the same about his sisters as well, although they are not at the center of power here. Secondly, she is portrayed on coins as Claudius’ wife, emphasizing her fertility and the expected result, her motherhood.

When Nero became emperor, he was only 17 years old. In the beginning of his reign, Agrippina guided him and advised him, and in this way had a considerable amount of power. This is actually visible on some coin types, in which both Agrippina and Nero are the faces of power on the obverse. Very soon however, Nero grew up and had her removed from power. Eventually, he was probably responsible for her death. From then on, only Nero’s head is on the obverse of the coin.

In conclusion, women frequently appear on Roman coins. In most cases, as with Plautilla, they are used to actually legitimize or amplify the power of the emperor. Sometimes however, as the example of Agrippina shows, women could have actual power and be portrayed on coins to represent their own power. For more information on this, see: L. Claes 2014. Kinship and Coins. Ancestors and Family on Roman Imperial Coinage under the Principate, Nijmegen, 186-235. https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/handle/2066/116140