The mint of Maxentius

In his famous book Rome. Profile of a City, 313-1308 (1980) Richard Krautheimer says about Maxentius' work in Rome: "The enterprises of Maxentius during his short six-year reign, A.D. 306-312, are [...] amazing, both in number and grandeur". He then mentions the remodeling of the Temple of Venus and Roma, the Basilica Nova ("of Maxentius and Constantine"), the so-called Temple of Divus Romulus (Maxentius' son) on the site of Santi Cosma e Damiano, the hall called the Temple of Minerva Medica, the so-called Temple of Venus and Cupid near Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, the Villa and Circus of Maxentius with the Mausoleum of Romulus on the Via Appia, and, finally, the raising of the Aurelian Walls to almost twice their original height. "All told, it was an amazing achievement within a six-year reign".

Remains of the Circus of Maxentius on the Via Appia. Photo: Wikimedia, Lalupa.

Maxentius surprised Ostia with the establishment of a mint. It is not mentioned by ancient authors, but known only through the mintmarks on the coins that were struck and one funerary inscription from Ostia. The mint has been studied extensively by numismatists, most recently by Vincent Drost, whose analyses are summarized here (see also the topic The Maxentian mint, which rests on the earlier literature).

Maxentius controlled a relatively small part of the Empire: Italy, Sardinia and Corsica, Sicly and North Africa. In 308 AD his position became precarious. He was declared a public enemy by the other Augusti and Caesares on a conference in Carnuntum (in the east of Austria). In the same year Domitius Alexander started a revolt in North Africa, so that Maxentius lost his main supplier of grain for Rome. He then centralized the production of coins. In 307 AD he had already closed the mint of Carthage. In 309-310 the two mints in northern Italy, in Ticinum and Aquileia, would follow, presumably because they were close to the enemy. The only mint left was that in Rome, and to this Maxentius added a new mint in Ostia, in late 308 or early 309 AD. The closure of the Carthaginian mint made the opening of a new mint a necessity, but technical and stylistic characteristics indicate that the personnel was not transferred from Carthage to Ostia. Instead there was a close link with the mint in Rome. The Ostian mint seems to have been established for a specific military purpose: the payment of the troops going to North Africa to quell the insurgency. However, it was considered a regular, permanent mint afterwards. The nearness to Rome will have determined the choice, and of course a major harbour city was well-suited for receiving the metal, storing it safely, and the distribution of the coins.

The Ostian mint produced coins of gold, silver and copper alloy. Four workshops were active, all four of which struck silver and copper alloy coins, whereas only one workshop produced gold coins. Three series in gold (aurei) were produced, the first one celebrating the opening of the mint, the second one the reconquest of North Africa in 310 AD and the quinquennalia (celebration of the fifth year of the reign) of Maxentius, and the third one his fourth consulship. Two more series in gold (solidi) were produced when Constantine had taken over the mint, both celebrating his victory at the Milvian Bridge. Again under Maxentius three series of silver coinage have been recognized and two series of copper alloy nummi, followed by one emission of nummi by Constantine. The mintmarks begin with M for moneta, "mint", followed by OST for Ostia or Ostiensis. They initially ended with the Greek letters alpha to delta: MOSTA, B, Γ, and Δ. Later this was latinized to MOSTP (primus), S (secundus), T (tertius) and Q (quartius). Instead of M, P is also encountered, for pecunia or percussa, "money" or "struck". POST as such was used for the gold coins.

Aureus minted in Ostia. Victoria inscribing a shield with vota decennalia.
MAXENTIVS P(ius) F(elix) AVG(ustus). VICTORIA AETERNA AVG(usti) N(ostri). VOTIS X. POST.
Photo: British Museum.

Variations in the organisation of the work in Rome and Ostia suggest that each mint had its own procurator. One employee of the Ostian mint is known, through a funerary inscription found in Ostia in 1860. His name was Felica (written as Pelica), a rare male name. He was a Christian (witness the inscription), had lived 34 years, and had been praepositus mediastinorum de moneta officina prima, "superintendent of the common servants of the first workshop of the mint".[1]

	((depiction of a barrel)) FELICA IN PACE IN FIDE DEI QVI VIXIX ANIS (sic) XXXIIII PREPO SITVS MEDIAS TINORVM DE MONETA OFICINA PRIMA
EDR143488. Vatican Museums. Image: EDCS-05701897.

Of the Maxentian gold coins minted in Ostia only eleven have been preserved, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the British Museum, the Museum of Arras, the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, and private collections. They were most likely a largess given to high-ranking officials (donativa). Some of the bronze coins were gifts for the plebs, thrown among the people (missilia). An interesting innovation is the fully frontal way of showing the portrait of Maxentius, not slightly turned like earlier portraits. It has been called a forerunner of Byzantine art. Particularly relevant for Ostia as a harbour city are depictions of the personification of the diocese Africa, identified by the elephant headdress, handing over to Maxentius a tribute (the aurum coronarium, "crown gold") or placing grain at his feet.

Aureus minted in Ostia. Mars handing over Victoria to Maxentius, Africa putting down grain in front of him.
MAXENTIVS P(ius) F(elix) AVG(ustus). VICTOR OMNIVM GENTIVM AVG(ustus) N(oster). POST.
Photo: British Museum.

The Dioscures feature very frequently on the Ostian coins. Their military aspect will have determined the choice, but surely also their special link with Ostia, where they were worshipped as protectors of shipping. As such they were painted in the Severan Shrine of Silvanus. Ammianus Marcellinus mentions the importance of the cult of the twins Castor and Pollux in Ostia in 359 AD:

1. Dum haec per varies turbines in Orientis extimo festinantur, difficultatem adventantis inopiae frumentorum urbs verebatur aeterna, vique minacissimae plebis, famem ultimum malorum omnium exspectantis, subinde Tertullus vexabatur, ea tempestate praefectus, irrationabiliter plane; nec enim per eum steterat quo minus tempore congruo alimenta navibus veherentur, quas maris casus asperiores solitis ventorumque procellae reflantium, delatas in proximos sinus, introire portum Augusti discriminum magnitudine perterrebant. 4. Moxque divini arbitrio numinis, quod auxit ab incunabulis Romam perpetuamque fore spopondit, dum Tertullus apud Ostia in aede sacrificat Castorum, tranquillitas mare mollivit, mutatoque in austrum placidum vento, velificatione plena portum naves ingressae frumentis horrea referserunt.

1. While these storms were swiftly passing one after the other in the extreme East, the eternal city was fearing the disaster of a coming shortage of grain, and from time to time Tertullus, who was prefect at the time, was assailed by the violent threats of the commons, as they anticipated famine, the worst of all ills; and this was utterly unreasonable, since it was no fault of his that food was not brought at the proper time in the ships, which unusually rough weather at sea and adverse gales of wind drove to the nearest harbours, and by the greatness of the danger kept them from entering the Port of Augustus. 4. And presently by the will of the divine power that gave increase to Rome from its cradle and promised that it should last forever, while Tertullus was sacrificing in the temple of Castor and Pollux at Ostia, a calm smoothed the sea, the wind changed to a gentle southern breeze, and the ships entered the harbour under full sail and again crammed the storehouses with grain.

Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae XIX,10,1 and 4. Translation J.C. Rolfe.[2]

Copper alloy nummus minted in Ostia. The Dioscures, the she-wolf and the twins Romulus and Remus.
IMP(erator) C(aesar) MAXENTIVS P(ius) F(elix) AVG(ustus). AETERNITAS AVG(usti) N(ostri). MOSTB.
Photo: British Museum.

Constantine used the mint after he had defeated Maxentius, but only for a short time, at the end of 312 and early 313 AD. It was then transferred to Arelate (Arles, France). Two coins struck in Arles have been interpreted as a representation of the departure and reception of the mint. The building that housed the Ostian mint has not been located, nor has a building been found that would be suitable, so far. All traces might of course have been obliterated in the course of the fourth century.

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(1) For the epigraphical record of the personnel of mints see Maria R. Alföldi, "Epigraphische Beiträge zur römischen Münzechnik bis auf Konstantin den Grossen", Schweizerische numismatische Rundschau 39 (1958-1959), 35-48.
(2) For apud Ostia meaning "in Ostia", not "near Ostia", see Christer Bruun, "Aedes Castorum, ludi und praedium missale: Drei Bemerkungen zur Topographie von Ostia-Portus und zum ager Ostiensis", Historia 61,1 (2012), 115-126.