Antoninus Pius' long reign (138-161) was characterized by peace; martial arts were not his business. Contemporaries looked favorably upon this peaceful policy. Later historians, however, judged it the fatal mistake that lead to encroachments on the empire's borders, and was the cause of the later problems of Antoninus Pius' successor Mark Aurelius.
This sesterce depicts the goddess Italia sitting on a globe. The motif demonstrates the self-esteem of the Italian peninsula regarding its position within the world – Italia is seen as the center of the vast Roman Empire and of its power.