Faustina Senior
Empress 138-140 AD
Wife of Antoninus Pius
Died 140 AD
Faustina Senior was Antoninus Pius’s wife. They were married before his accession in 110 AD. Faustina was the daughter of the Consul Marcus Annius Verus and Rupilla Faustina. She was born in Rome before the reign of Trajan.
Faustina bore four children: two sons and two daughters. Her two sons, Marcus Galerius and Marcus Aurelius Fulvius, died before their father took the throne. Her eldest daughter, Aurelia Fadilla, was married to Lamia Syllanus but also died before 138 AD. Her only surviving daughter, Annia Galeria Faustina (Junior), married the future emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Faustina’s reputation was not altogether pleasant. Her husband went to some lengths to stop the rumors. Nonetheless, when she died in 140 AD, Antoninus Pius consecrated her in 141 AD. He also issued a very extensive series of commemorative coinage in her memory and the dedication of the Temple of Faustina he had erected in the heart of the Forum.
Monetary System
Mints: Rome
Obverse Legions:
FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII P P
DIVA FAVSTINA
DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA
DENOMINATIONS
Lifetime Coinage
AU Aureus (6.54 grams)
AR Denarius (3.54 grams)
AR Quinarius
AE Sestertius
AE As
The Posthumus Coinage of Faustina
DENOMINATIONS
AU Aureus (6.54 grams)
AU Quninarius
AR Denarius (3.54 grams)
AR Quinarius
AE Sestertius
AE Dupondius
AE As
NOTE:The postumous coinage of Faustina is perhaps the most extensive within the entire roman series insofar as types and varieties are concern. It is rivaled only by the postumous issues of her daughter, Faustina Junior, and Augustus.
Contemporary Imitations
