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Annia Galeria Faustina the Younger (also known as Faustina Minor, Faustina II, and Faustina Jr.) (130? – 175? AD) had high expectations to live up to. She was only about eight years old when her father, Antoninus Pius, ascended Rome’s throne. Young Faustina Jr. was now an Emperor’s daughter; importantly, she was his only surviving child, and therefore under pressure to continue his bloodline. Most important of all, her mother was Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder, perhaps the most revered woman in the history of the Roman Empire.
Elder Faustina died only two years into her imperial tenure. Highly distraught over his dearly departed, Antoninus gave his wife a grand funeral, elevating her to a goddess. Unlike any Empress prior or afterwards, her god-like status was promoted continuously and widely. Her effigies were paraded in spectacles and present at public events.
One can only imagine the impact these proceedings had on the teenaged Faustina Jr. She saw her mother’s likeness appearing everywhere on sculptures, paintings, and, of course, coins, perhaps millions of them, circulating throughout the Empire. Based on ancient evidence, Faustina the Younger probably resembled her mother. Whether she liked it or not, young Faustina served as a living reminder of Rome's newest and already widely worshiped divinity.
Adding to Faustina’s teenage anxiety was her betrothal status. As the crown jewel of the imperial lineage, she found herself embroiled in Rome’s politics. Per the deal secured by her father, Faustina was originally betrothed to Lucius Verus, adoptive grandson of the previous Emperor, namely Hadrian. In the dynastic restructuring after Hadrian’s death, Faustina was instead betrothed to Marcus Aurelius. The latter happed to be her adoptive brother. Even so, in 145 AD, after some legal and religious finagling, Faustina and Marcus were married. The Empire still mourned over the elder Faustina, and lacked an official, living Empress. Therefore, Faustina Jr. was bestowed the title of Augusta, even though it meant that she temporarily outranked her husband, still Caesar to Emperor Antoninus Pius. When the latter died in 161 AD, Marcus officially rose to his wife’s august status. However, he wanted another member to round out the imperial team. Marcus insisted that Faustina’s former fiancée, Verus, serve as co-Augustus.
Around this time (161-164 AD), one of Rome’s numerous officinas produced this silver denarius. The obverse depicts the draped bust of Faustina Jr. Evidently, the daughter closely resembled the mother, even though they chose very different hairstyles. Compared to her mother’s famously intricate tower of interlocking braids, Faustina Jr. coiled her hair into a bun, perhaps a conscious attempt to distinguish herself.
For the coin’s reverse, the engraver chose the figure of Fecunditas holding a child in each arm and two more at her feat, encircled by FECVND AVGVSTAE. Fecunditas was the Roman goddess of fertility, and advertised the continuation of the imperial bloodline. This motif appears relatively frequently on ancient Roman coinage, for example on denarii struck for the elder Faustina.
True to the coin’s message, the younger Faustina proved extremely fertile. Remarkably, she bore more than a dozen children over the span of 23 years, including two sets of twins. Presumably, the Empress required a lot of help to nurture the growing imperial family, and, also presumably, the entire resources of the world's greatest Empire were at her disposal. Faustina had the best medical care in Rome, and probably the world; her personal physician was none other than Galen of Pergamon. Galen was a medical pioneer, establishing diverse scientific disciplines including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology (not to mention he was an accomplished philosopher and logistician). Even under Galen’s care, half or fewer of Faustina’s children survived childhood; high childhood mortality was a harsh reality of the ancient world.
While the Romans lauded their Empress’ fertility, many had doubts regarding her fidelity. A particularly prevalent allegation was that her son Commodus was sired not by Augustus Marcus Aurelius, but rather a famous gladiator. The veracity of such accusations remains uncertain. There was also the matter or Faustina’s conduct with Syrian governor Gaius Avidius Cassius. In 175 AD, Faustina informed Cassius that her husband was seriously ill. Cassius took the news to mean the Augustus was dying or already dead, and staged a short-lived rebellion. Such actions at least suggest Faustina’s strategic, if not romantic, involvement with men other than her husband.
Faustina the Younger died later that same year, perhaps despondent over Cassius’ execution. In any case, she was greatly mourned by Rome’s citizens, particular the Emperor, who elevated her to join her divine mother. Besides her husband, Faustina Jr. was survived by at least five children. Above all, she carried out her duty to pass the imperial bloodline.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Faustina Junior, Augusta, AD 147-175, AR Denarius (20mm, 3.43 g, 12h), Rome mint, Struck under Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-164, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Draped bust right, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Reverse: Fecunditas standing facing, head left, holding two infants in her arms; at either side, child standing with right hand raised, FECVND AVGVSTAE, References: RIC III 676 (Marcus); MIR 18, 10-4a; RSC 95.