Domitian Silver Denarius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 670

Monetary Context and Reform

The issue catalogued as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 670 belongs to a period of defined monetary policy within the Flavian dynasty. Domitian initiated a remarkable reform of imperial precious metal currency in AD 82, elevating the silver denarius to an unprecedented degree of purity and weight that deliberately recalled the standards of Augustus. Under this early reform, the denarius achieved an average weight approaching 3.56 grams with a fineness exceeding ninety-seven percent silver. By AD 85, economic realities and immense public expenditures, including major building projects in Rome and substantial military campaigns along the Danubian frontier, prompted a recalibration. The weight and fineness were adjusted downward to a secondary standard averaging approximately 3.25 to 3.30 grams with an alloy fineness of approximately ninety-three to ninety-four percent silver. Struck between late AD 88 and AD 89, RIC 670 was produced squarely within this stable second reformed standard. Despite the slight reduction from the peak standard of AD 82 to 85, Domitian's silver remained significantly purer and heavier than both the earlier coinages of Vespasian and Titus and the subsequent issues of the Antonine emperors. This enhanced standard reflected an explicit imperial ideological commitment to fiscal integrity and administrative control. Denarii from this period formed the backbone of military payments during the wars against the Dacians and the Chatti, ensuring high confidence in Roman official currency among soldiers and commercial agents across the provinces.

Production and Mint Organization

Production of RIC 670 took place exclusively at the imperial mint in Rome. Following the accession of Vespasian and the pacification of the civil wars of AD 68 to 69, precious metal striking was consolidated almost entirely at the capital. By the late eighties AD, the Rome mint operated under rigorous administrative discipline, likely structured into discrete officinae or production workshops tasked with specific denominations, metals, or reverse categories. The Flavian mint at Rome exhibited exceptional consistency in die cutting, blank preparation, and quality control. Planchets for silver denarii were cast in open moulds before being hammered between intaglio dies. The die axes for Domitianic silver are predominantly regular, displaying a strong tendency toward a six o'clock or twelve o'clock alignment. Mint workers maintained precise weight surveillance over batches of struck flans. The sheer quantity of surviving dies for the late eighties AD demonstrates that the mint maintained high throughput capacity, capable of rapidly issuing fresh runs of denarii to reflect updated imperatorial acclamations and political milestones.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC 670 features a laureate head of Domitian facing right. Numismatic portraiture under Domitian developed through several stylistic phases, moving from the heavier, realistic Flavian family features inherited from Vespasian and Titus toward an idealized, regal, and authoritative profile. By AD 88 to 89, the portrait style had achieved its definitive mature expression. In this portrait type, the emperor's features are rendered with crisp delineation: a strong, prominent jawline, a well-defined aquiline nose, and neatly arranged rows of stylized curls cascading down the back of the neck beneath the ties of the laurel wreath. The laurel wreath rests securely on the head, with the ribbon ties trailing downward onto the truncation of the neck. The portrait conveys imperial majesty and divine favour, devoid of overt aging, aligning with Domitian's increasing emphasis on monarchical dignity and religious conservatism.

Reverse Iconography of Minerva

The reverse design of RIC 670 presents the goddess Minerva standing left, holding a vertical spear in her right hand with her left arm resting at her side or draped in the folds of her chiton and himation. This specific composition represents what Ian Carradice and modern Flavian numismatists designate as Minerva Type 1 in Domitian's fourfold iconographical scheme. Beginning in AD 83 and continuing without interruption until his death in AD 96, Domitian replaced the traditional variety of reverse types on silver denarii with four standardized depictions of Minerva: standing left with spear (Minerva 1); advancing right with spear and shield (Minerva 2); standing on a rostral column or prow with spear, shield, and an owl (Minerva 3); and standing left with spear and thunderbolt (Minerva 4). Domitian held a deep personal devotion to Minerva, claiming her special protection as his divine guide. On RIC 670, Minerva is depicted in her role as a dignified, watchful protector, armed with her spear yet calm, personifying both civic wisdom and martial vigilance.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The obverse legend on RIC 670 reads IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII, rendered in uninterrupted concentric Latin capitals within an outer beaded border. This title translates as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate VIII. The title Germanicus commemorates his earlier victories against the Germanic Chatti in AD 83, while Pontifex Maximus affirms his position as chief priest of Roman state religion. The formula TR P VIII securely dates the initiation of the dies to the period between 14 September AD 88 and 13 September AD 89. The reverse inscription reads IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS P P P, translatable as Imperator XIX, Consul XIV, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae. The fourteenth consulship was assumed by Domitian on 1 January AD 88, continuing through AD 89 until he entered his fifteenth consulship on 1 January AD 90. The nineteenth imperatorial acclamation (IMP XIX) provides a narrower chronological marker, awarded late in AD 88 or early in AD 89, commonly associated with the campaigns against the Dacians or the suppression of the revolt of Lucius Antonius Saturninus in Upper Germany. The designation CENS P commemorates his assumption of the perpetual censorship in AD 85, paired with Pater Patriae, Father of the Fatherland.

Typology and Chronological Classification

RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 670 belongs to Group 5 of Domitian's denarii under the classification established by Ian Carradice. In this phase, the mint produced parallel issues across the four Minerva types, distinguished by successive imperatorial acclamation numbers that changed rapidly during AD 88 and 89 as military events unfolded along the Rhine and Danube. Within the second edition of the Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II.1), type 670 is precisely defined by the specific combination of obverse legend IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII with reverse legend IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS P P P and reverse design Minerva 1. It is directly flanked by types 671 (Minerva 2), 672 (Minerva 3), and 673 (Minerva 4), which share identical legends but exhibit the alternative poses of the goddess. Neighboring issues from earlier in the same tribunician year feature lower acclamation counts such as IMP XVII and IMP XVIII, while those struck shortly after feature IMP XXI. Type 670 thus marks an exact, narrow window of mint activity in Rome.

Circulation, Hoards, and Survival

Because RIC 670 was produced on the high silver standard established in AD 85, its circulation trajectory differed notably from earlier, more base Flavian issues. Denarii struck by Domitian after his reforms were prized for their purity and intrinsic value. As a consequence, they were frequently hoarded during the economic instabilities of the later second century AD. Under Trajan, around AD 107, the imperial government initiated a systematic demonetization and recoinage of older, pre-reform silver issues, as documented by Cassius Dio. While earlier worn and debased denarii were systematically melted down and reissued at the lower Trajanic standard, Domitianic denarii often remained in commercial circulation or were hoarded alongside Trajanic and Hadrianic coins throughout Roman Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces. Specimens of RIC 670 appear consistently in major western hoard deposits such as the Falkirk hoard and other European finds dating up to the early Severan era, illustrating decades of active monetary life across the empire.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Second Edition). p. 317, no. 670
2. Coinage and Finances in the Reign of Domitian, A.D. 81-96. pp. 23-48
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 336-340
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 670. ric.2_1(2).dom.670