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Pietas  —  Their Pious Duty

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The reverse of a denarius of Gordian III showing Pietas with raised hands The reverse of a denarius of Gordian III showing Pietas with raised hands.

In Roman times, religion was not an option, but an integral part of everything that they did. Piety was not the way we think of it now, something unusually holy. It meant the right and proper observance of religious ritual, a duty which fell to every citizen, and to the emperor as much or more than to anyone else. After all, the emperor held the most important religious position in Rome, that of Pontifex Maximus. If an emperor was so lax as to fail in this duty, what example did that set? And what might become of the empire?

And more than that, it represented the complex relationship of love, obedience, and natural order that our word "piety" only hints at.

The reverse of a denarius of Hadrian showing Pietas with one hand raised The reverse of a denarius of Hadrian showing Pietas with one hand raised.

Many of the later emperors took the title PIVS as a matter of course. Gordian III was given the title for a particular reason – his familial devotion, when he cashiered the legion that caused the downfall of his father and uncle. That the obverse of his coins then included the title did not stop him from reinforcing the message with suitable reverses. Gordian's denarius on the right shows a common depiction of Pietas, with hands raised and open, in supplication to the gods. The legend, PIETAS AVGVSTI, means "The Pietas of the Emperor."

Pietas was not a major deity, but was important enough to have more than one temple in Rome. For example, one was promised by Marcus Acilius Glabrio before a battle against King Antiochos in 191 BCE, built in a vegetable market called the Forum Holitorium, and finally dedicated by his son ten years later. (However, this temple was removed by Augustus and replaced by the much more famous Theatre of Marcellus in 13-12 BCE.) There is a sestertius of the elder Faustina with a "Pietas" reverse legend that shows a temple with six columns and an elaborate pediment, which probably refers to one such actual temple. Unfortunately, I don't have that coin.

Here are some Roman coins which demonstrate how important it was for the imperial family to be seen to fulfill their religious and familial obligations. This is usually done by showing a personification of Pietas and relating this to the emperor or empress. When I looked through my examples, I noticed that some of them are not great quality coins. However, there are also some stunners among them, so it evens out! I will start with the emperors.

The Pietas of The Emperor

The reverse of a denarius of Antoninus Pius showing Pietas with a sacrificial hind. The reverse of a denarius of Antoninus Pius showing Pietas with a sacrificial hind.
The reverse of a denarius of Septimius Severus showing the emperor sacrificing over a tripod altar. The reverse of a denarius of Septimius Severus showing the emperor sacrificing over a tripod altar.
The reverse of a denarius of Gallienus showing him and his father Valerian sacrificing. The reverse of a denarius of Gallienus showing him and his father Valerian sacrificing.

On the denarius of Hadrian above left, Pietas is raising only one hand. The designation PIETAS is across the middle of the field, perhaps because the legend around the rim is so long and verbose. In fact this legend is just a continuation of the text on the obverse! Click on the image to see the complete coin with a note about this legend.

On the leftmost of these next three coins, the plural legend PIETAS AVGG on this antoninianus refers to the two male emperors, Gallienus and his father Valerian. The image is not of Pietas, but the emperors themselves, one carrying a short sceptre tipped with an eagle, and the other a parazonium. They are shown facing each other and sacrificing from a patera over a small lit altar that stands between them.

In the centre, one of the first coins produced for the emperor Septimius Severus showed him sacrificing in the same way. The legend on this coin, PIETAT AVG, means that this image is about the Emperor's pietas. This was an important and steadying message to be put across as soon as possible.

The reverse of an antoninianus of Tetricus II showing implements of the priestly colleges. The reverse of an antoninianus of Tetricus II showing implements of the priestly colleges.
The reverse of an antoninianus of Valerian II showing implements of the priestly colleges. The reverse of an antoninianus of Valerian II showing implements of the priestly colleges.

There is some rather more complex imagery on the denarius of Antoninus Pius on the right. Pietas is holding a bowl of fruits above an altar with one hand, while the other trails a hind for the sacrifice. The bowl of fruits as an offering is also seen in coins showing Fides. This coin is also interesting for the much more practical reason that it still bears a circular mark made by the engraver to help him place the lettering of the legend.

PIETAS AVGVSTOR, an abbreviation of Pietas Augustorum, "The piety of the emperors," on the antoninianus on the far left refers to the two Tetrici, the young prince whose coin this was and his father, the senior emperor of the breakaway Gaulish empire. The implements shown here are a sprinkler, a simpulum (a dipper), a jug, a knife and a lituus (used in divination by watching the flight of birds). These are all implements used by the priestly colleges. The ragged flan on this coin is quite usual for the small bronzes of that period.

The reverse of an antoninianus of Herennius Etruscus showing Mercury with purse and caduceus. The reverse of an antoninianus of Herennius Etruscus showing Mercury with purse and caduceus.
The reverse of a contemporary fake denarius of Severus Alexander showing Pietas at an altar. The reverse of a contemporary fake denarius of Severus Alexander showing Pietas at an altar.

The antoninianus of the young Valerian II next to it has the same legend (shortened still more to PIETAS AVGG) and a similar array of implements; lituus, knife, patera (a shallow dish), jug, and simpulum. This type seems to have been thought appropriate for boy emperors. The young Valerian was killed in 258 CE, and from his portraits, cannot have been very mature at the time.

The base metal denarius of Severus Alexander on the near right doesn't really advance the page much, except to introduce a pose which is much more common on coins of empresses, but I think it is a charming little coin, which is really why I have shoe-horned it in here. It's a contemporary fake, as you can tell from the fact that it isn't silver, the "P" in PIETAS has become a "D", and the "S" is the wrong way round.

The reverse of a billon antoninianus of Gallienus showing the emperor and a kneeling female. The reverse of an antoninianus of Gallienus showing the emperor and a kneeling female.

The obverse of that coin, which you can see if you click on the picture, is executed in an eastern style; in fact this fake is based on a coin struck in Antioch, and may itself have been made in the East.

The antoninianus of Herennius Etruscus on the far right shows Mercury, the god of trade and commerce, with his bulging purse and caduceus, combined with the familiar legend PIETAS AVGG. Mercury was said to be the first god to teach organised religion, and this is undoubtedly the reason for his appearance on a coin with this legend. This combination also appears for Numerian. Mercury is more commonly given legends like FIDES AVG, indicating confidence in the emperor's ability to maintain fruitful commerce.

On the left is another antoninianus of Gallienus with a less common reference to Pietas. Since the time of the emperor Nerva, 98 CE, poor children had benefited from public distributions of corn and oil. They were called variously the Pueris Alimentariis or Puellae Alimentariae. This coin shows the emperor and a kneeling, supplicant boy. The legend CONSERVAT PIETAT names the emperor as their conservator or protector, and gives pietas as his motive for benevolence.

The Pietas of The Empress

The empresses were also required to demonstrate their piety on coins, but the imagery was quite different, and usually related to their familial duties.

The reverse of a denarius of Faustina Senior showing Pietas at an altar The reverse of a denarius of Faustina Senior showing Pietas at an altar.
The reverse of a denarius of Julia Maesa showing Pietas at an altar The reverse of a denarius of Julia Maesa showing Pietas at an altar.

On the far left, a denarius of Faustina Senior from 145 CE. Here, a veiled and matronly Pietas is standing in front of a garlanded altar. In her left hand she holds an open box of incense with a decorated lid. Her right hand holds a fistful of the precious substance (possibly frankincense) and she is about to drop it into the flame.

This is one of many coins produced by Antoninus Pius in honour of his late wife.

Next to it, a denarius of Julia Maesa made over 60 years later. The scene is almost identical. Here, Pietas has opened her hand and cast the incense onto the flame. The continuation of this (and many other) images in this way shows respect for stability and tradition.

The reverse of a denarius of Plautilla showing Pietas holding a child The reverse of a denarius of Plautilla showing Pietas holding a child.
The reverse of an antoninianus of Otacilia Severa showing Pietas with a child The reverse of a coin of Otacilia Severa showing Pietas with a child.

Another aspect of wifely duty was the provision of children to carry on the imperial line. The antoninianus of Otacilia Severa on the left shows Pietas, clearly representing the empress, with a child where an altar was shown in the earlier design. Oddly, Pietas still seems to be carrying an incense box. This sort of direct representation was intended to display a particular characteristic of the imperial personage, in this case pointing out that by having a child and caring for it, she was fulfilling her pious duty to both her husband and Rome.

Next to it, a denarius of Plautilla. In this much better integrated design, Pietas is carrying the child, and holding a tall sceptre in her other hand. The legend, PIETAS AVGG, indicates a plural. In this case, it was Plautilla and her husband, the emperor Caracalla, who were fulfilling their dynastic duties by procreating. But in this case it was all wishful thinking. This brief and unhappy liaison was unfruitful.

The reverse of an antoninianus of Salonina showing Pietas with three children. The reverse of an antoninianus of Salonina showing Pietas with three children.
The reverse of an AE3 of Theodora, showing Pietas breast-feeding a child The reverse of a bronze coin of Theodora, showing Pietas breast-feeding a child.

On the antoninianus of Salonina on the far left, Pietas is holding out her hand to two children, while a third is standing at the side of her throne. These may represent the children of Salonina and the emperor Gallienus, or possibly they may — like the antoninianus of Gallienus in the earlier section — represent the Puellae Alimentariae once again, benefiting through the agency of the empress' pietas and her gentle benevolence.

Next to it, a much later coin, commemorating the late empress Theodora, second wife of Constantius Chlorus. This one definitely does relate to the Imperial offspring. Theodora bore her husband six children. Here, Pietas once again represents the empress, and is shown with a young child in her arms. She is offering her breast, and the child is reaching out for it. The legend is PIETAS ROMANA. So on this coin Theodora represents and embodies the pious duty of the Romans.

The Thymiaterium

The reverse of an as of Marcus Aurelius showing Iuventas at an altar The reverse of an as of Marcus Aurelius showing Iuventas at an altar.
The reverse of an as or dupondius of Faustina Senior showing Pietas at an altar The reverse of a coin of Faustina Senior showing Pietas at an altar.

These two coins show a different type of altar, standing on a single slender decorated support. It is generally referred to as a "candelabrum-altar," and which is most likely a device used to hold hot coals onto which the incense could be cast. Pat Lawrence on the Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board named it as a "thymiaterium."

On the near right, an as or dupondius of Faustina Senior, with the sparks flying up from her thymaterium. On the far right, a quite different and less common personification, Juventas, on an as of Marcus Aurelius made at about the same time.

Juventas is dropping incense like Pietas, but is holding a patera instead of an incense box. This coin lacks some detail, but has a nice clear thymiaterium of a slightly different design.

The reverse of a tetradrachm of Diocletian showing Eusebia. The reverse of a tetradrachm of Diocletian showing Eusebia.
The reverse of a tetradrachm of Diocletian showing Eusebia. The reverse of a tetradrachm of Diocletian showing Eusebia.

These last two chunky coins are potin tetradrachms of Diocletian, dated 284-5 (left) and 288-9 (right). They were struck in Alexandria for circulation strictly within Egypt. The alloy they are made from is different to coins from Rome, they are thicker in relation to their diameter, and they often have less detail. Alexandrian coins used Greek and Egyptian symbolism and lettering. On these two coins, the Greek predominates.

The personification is Eusebia, the Greek equivalent of Pietas. On the left, there is a fold of Eusebia's robe over her left elbow, and she is holding an incense box, like Pietas on the coin of the elder Faustina above. On the right, she is just holding up a fold of her robe, without the box.

She is dropping incense onto a thymiaterion (Greek spelling) on the left-hand coin, and onto a more conventional altar on the right. This imagery is almost identical to that used in Rome.


The content of this page was last updated on 21 September 2009

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