RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 717 Sestertius

Monetary and Historical Context

During the Flavian dynasty, the sestertius functioned as the principal large copper-alloy denomination within Roman currency, representing one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses. Under Domitian, who reigned from AD 81 to 96, Roman monetary standards were strictly regulated following his significant currency reforms of AD 82 and AD 85. While those reforms focused heavily on elevating the fineness and weight of the silver denarius and gold aureus, the base-metal coinage continued to perform essential civic and commercial roles in everyday market exchange. Consecration issues for deceased members of the imperial family had been an established numismatic tradition since the Julio-Claudian era, allowing reigning emperors to demonstrate familial pietas and reinforce their legitimacy. The subject of this issue, Julia Flavia (Diva Julia Titi), was the daughter of Titus and niece of Domitian, who passed away circa AD 89 or 90 and was subsequently deified. This specific sestertius, assigned to AD 90 to 91, served simultaneously as a functional component of the monetary supply and as a political instrument linking Domitian to the deified legacy of his brother Titus.

Production and Mints

The issue catalogued as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 717 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. Production of large copper-alloy denominations at Rome during the Flavian period utilized substantial orichalcum (brass) or bronze blanks cast in flat molds before being hot-struck between engraved iron dies. While individual surviving examples exhibit standard variations in planchet thickness, centering, and flan shape typical of ancient manual minting, the series adheres to the Flavian sestertius target weight centered roughly around 25 to 28 grams, with a module typically spanning 33 to 36 millimeters. Striking large base-metal coins required significant mechanical force and coordinated teams of mint workers (monetarii) operating under the supervision of senatorial and imperial financial administrators. Domitian maintained strict administrative control over mint operations at Rome, ensuring consistent die engraving styles, clean legends, and rigorous control over alloy compositions.

Obverse Design

The obverse displays an elaborate two-wheeled carriage with an arched canopy (carpentum), drawn to the right by a pair of mules. In Roman tradition, the carpentum was an ancient and highly prestigious vehicle associated with solemn religious processions and elite Roman matrons. Its depiction on coinage had long been reserved for deified empresses and imperial princesses, recalling earlier consecrated prototypes such as the carpentum issues for Livia under Tiberius and Agrippina Senior under Caligula. The vehicle on this issue is rendered with fine ornamental detail, showing decorated side panels, structural supports, and reins extending from the harnesses of the two draught mules. The choice of the carpentum rather than an imperial portrait directly signals the posthumous, sacred status of Julia, illustrating the formal procession of her effigy during public games and ceremonies in Rome.

Reverse Design

The reverse layout is deliberately straightforward and institutional, dominated by the prominent initials S C (Senatus Consulto) situated in the central field. Surrounding this senatorial endorsement is a circular peripheral inscription enumerating Domitian's imperial titles. Unlike portrait or allegorical reverse types, this design follows an established epigraphic tradition on Roman bronze coinage where senatorial sanction and imperial titles constitute the entire visual focus. The composition balances the obverse's dedication to the deified Julia with the political authority and magistracies of the reigning princeps, affirming that the honors accorded to Julia were formally enacted by senatorial decree under Domitian's constitutional auspices.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse legend reads DIVA IVLIAE AVG DIVI TITI F S P Q R, which abbreviates the formula 'Divae Juliae Augustae, Divi Titi Filiae, Senatus Populusque Romanus'. This dative dedication translates as 'To the deified Julia Augusta, daughter of the deified Titus, [from] the Senate and People of Rome.' Grammatically, the use of the dative case emphasizes the commemorative and votive nature of the coinage, explicitly presented as an honorific dedication by the governing bodies of Rome. The reverse legend provides Domitian's imperial formula: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XV CENS PER P P, expanding to 'Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Consul quintum decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae.' The titular elements celebrate his victory over the Germanic Chatti (Germanicus), his status as father of the fatherland (Pater Patriae), his unprecedented position as lifelong censor (Censor Perpetuus, assumed in AD 85), and his fifteenth consulship (COS XV), which provides the critical chronological benchmark.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the modern taxonomy of Flavian coinage, this issue is classified in the revised second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage as RIC II, Part 1 (2nd ed.) Domitian 717 (superseding the older reference RIC II 400). The chronological placement is firmly established by Domitian's fifteenth consulship (COS XV), which commenced on January 1, AD 90 and concluded before his sixteenth consulship in AD 92. Consequently, production is dated by scholars to the window of AD 90 to 91. The issue forms part of a closely related group of posthumous honors for Julia struck in precious and base metals following her death around AD 89 to 90. Within the sestertius series, related contemporary types include issues depicting Julia seated on a throne or resting on a celestial curule chair. The carpentum variant designated as type 717 remains distinct due to its specific obverse iconography combined with the peripheral reverse legend encasing the central S C.

Circulation and Monetary Life

Once released into general circulation, sestertii of Domitian circulated broadly across Italy and the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Gaul, the Rhineland, and Britain. Because base-metal denominations were not systematically recalled or demonetized upon the death or subsequent damnatio memoriae of an emperor, Flavian bronze coins frequently remained in circulation for decades, often circulating alongside Trajanic, Hadrianic, and Antonine issues until the severe monetary disruptions of the third century AD. Although commemorating a specific state funeral and deification, type 717 was minted to full standard legal tender specifications and was used in ordinary commercial transactions. Surviving specimens found in archaeological contexts routinely exhibit significant honest wear, countermarks, or corroded find patinas, reflecting long utility in daily commerce before final loss or deposition in regional hoards.

References

1. Coinage and Finances in the Reign of Domitian: A.D. 81-96. BAR International Series 178, Oxford
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum. Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. British Museum Publications, London
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 717. ric.2_1(2).dom.717
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Second Edition). Spink and Son, London