Domitian Bronze As, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423

Monetary Context and Denominational System

During the reign of Domitian, the Roman monetary structure maintained the traditional Augustan denominations while undergoing significant administrative and metrological refinements. The as, struck in relatively pure copper or related copper alloys, served as the functional core of small-scale cash transactions throughout the empire. Valued at one-fourth of a brass sestertius and one-sixteenth of a silver denarius, the as was essential for market purchases, military subsistence adjustments, and urban wage disbursements. In AD 85, Domitian initiated a brief and ambitious recalibration of imperial coinage, raising the fineness and standard weight of both the gold aureus and silver denarius to levels unseen since the Julio-Claudian era. While this noble-metal reform was partially rolled back in AD 88, base-metal production at the Rome mint remained prolific and technically standardized. The as continued to bridge the gap between low-value fractional brass or copper pieces, such as the semis and quadrans, and higher-value token coinage. Catalogue number RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423 represents an issue produced amidst these systemic adjustments, exemplifying the regime's stringent monetary discipline and heightened emphasis on base-metal production for imperial administrative needs.

Mint Organization and Production Standards

The entire production run of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423 was executed by the primary imperial mint located in Rome. By the late first century AD, the Rome mint was a highly centralized and organized bureau operating under the supervision of imperial procurators and freedmen alongside senatorial oversight formally reflected in the S C formula. Die engravers demonstrated consistent artistic style, cutting deeply sunk dies with fine portraits and crisp lettering. Base-metal asses of this period were struck on cast flans prepared from copper alloys, exhibiting an average target weight hovering around 10.0 to 11.5 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 27 and 29 millimeters. However, striking tolerances in Roman bronze coin manufacture allowed for noticeable variations across individual specimens, making standard ranges rather than rigid single weights the scholarly metric. Flans were heated prior to striking, which facilitated the sharp transfer of high-relief imperial portraits and reverse attributes. Die alignment was predominantly upright or slightly off-axis, conforming to the characteristic imperial median of six or twelve o'clock.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423 features a right-facing, laureate head of Domitian paired with an aegis across his chest or neck truncation. The aegis, traditionally associated with Jupiter and Minerva, consists of a protective animal skin adorned with the gorgoneion, emphasizing the special divine patronage that Domitian claimed throughout his reign. The emperor's deep personal veneration of Minerva is well documented in historical and numismatic sources; here, the inclusion of her divine attribute elevates the standard imperial likeness into a statement of sacred protection and celestial favor. The laurel wreath encircling the head is tied at the nape of the neck with fluttering ribbons, underscoring victorious military leadership following the Chattan campaigns in Germania. The facial features display the characteristic mature Flavian physiognomy: a strong, prominent jaw, aquiline nose, and tightly curled hair rendered in structured tiers according to contemporary court portraiture.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography centers on Virtus, the personification of military fortitude, courage, and martial excellence. She is depicted standing right, resting her left foot upon a crested helmet, holding a vertical spear in one hand and cradling a parazonium, a small ceremonial sword or dagger, in the other. In Roman imperial art, resting a foot upon armor or a captive symbolized active domination and pacification of hostile forces. The attributes of Virtus closely overlap with representations of Roma and Minerva, but her distinct posture, bare right breast or Amazonian tunic, and specific combination of spear and parazonium identify her as the personification of Roman martial resolve. Flanking the lower fields of the design are the prominent capital letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. This formula affirmed the constitutional role of the Roman Senate in authorizing the production and legal tender of base-metal coinage, maintaining a long-standing Augustan convention within the centralized Flavian state.

Epigraphy and Titulature Analysis

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XI CENS PER P P, representing an expansive record of Domitian's imperial titles as structured during AD 85. The legend opens with the supreme military command title Imperator (IMP), followed by Caesar (CAES), the imperial family name Domitianus (DOMIT), and Augustus (AVG). The cognomen Germanicus (GERM) celebrates his campaigns against the Chatti across the Rhine, an honorific title he formally adopted in late AD 83. The numeral COS XI marks his eleventh consulship, held in the calendar year AD 85. Crucially, the formula CENS PER abbreviates Censor Perpetuus, recording Domitian's assumption of the censorship for life in the autumn of AD 85, a dramatic escalation following his brief earlier tenure as censor designatus and ordinary censor. The formula concludes with Pater Patriae (P P), father of his country. The reverse legend, VIRTVTI AVGVSTI, is framed in the dative case, dedicating the coin to the valor or military virtue of the Augustus. Accompanied by the senatorial mark S C, the epigraphy directly attributes Rome's military security and conquest to the personal courage of the ruling princeps.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the modern classification system of The Roman Imperial Coinage, this issue is designated as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423. Its precise dating to AD 85 is determined by the intersection of the consular date COS XI and the perpetual censorial title CENS PER. During early AD 85, Domitian's bronze coinage bore the legend COS XI CENS POT (Censoria Potestate) or variants reflecting his preliminary censorial powers. The transition to CENS PER occurred in the second half of that year, establishing a narrow chronological window of production between late summer and the end of AD 85. Within the broader series of Domitianic aes coinage, the Virtus reverse was struck across multiple years and in several bust varieties, including bare-headed, draped, and aegis-bearing portraits. Type 423 is distinguished specifically by the presence of the aegis on the laureate bust, differentiating it from contemporary issues bearing identical reverse types and legends but featuring standard laureate or bare neck truncations.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Evidence

Base-metal asses of the Flavian emperors circulated extensively throughout the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Britannia, Gallia, Hispania, and the Germanic frontiers, as well as in the Italian peninsula. Excavation coins from legionary fortresses and urban centers along the Rhine and Danube demonstrate that Domitianic asses formed a substantial portion of the everyday currency pool throughout the late first and second centuries AD. Because copper asses possessed low intrinsic value relative to gold and silver, they were rarely hoarded in large savings deposits, appearing more frequently in small lost-purse finds, urban commercial strata, and site loss assemblages. Despite the formal damnatio memoriae decreed by the Senate following Domitian's assassination in AD 96, his base-metal coinage was not comprehensively recalled or defaced due to the vast practical requirement for small change across the empire. Instead, coins such as RIC 423 remained in active circulation for decades, gradually being worn smooth or countermarked under later administrations before eventual withdrawal.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. Domitian Bronze
2. Coinage and Finances in the Reign of Domitian: A.D. 81-96. BAR International Series 178
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 423. ric.2_1(2).dom.423
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: Vespasian to Domitian. Domitian 423