Domitian Denarius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

When Titus died unexpectedly on September 13, AD 81, Domitian succeeded to the purple, inheriting a stable monetary framework that had been rebuilt across more than a decade of Flavian governance. The imperial denarius remained the cornerstone of everyday commerce, state taxation, and military remuneration throughout the Mediterranean world. Upon taking control of the Roman state, Domitian initially maintained the silver weight and fineness parameters utilized during the final months of Titus. These parameters adhered closely to the post-Neronian standard, producing silver denarii that averaged around 3.25 grams with an alloy fineness fluctuating around ninety percent silver. This conservative monetary opening allowed the new administration to ensure continuity in civil administration and army pay without inducing immediate market disruptions. However, this adherence to the inherited standard proved brief. By the middle of AD 82, Domitian instituted an ambitious monetary reform that increased both the weight and purity of the denarius, raising average standards above 3.5 grams and pushing silver fineness closer to ninety-eight percent. Consequently, issues belonging to RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70 represent a short-lived transitional monetary tier struck entirely within the closing months of AD 81 under the older metallurgical regime, preceding the rigorous currency enhancements that defined the middle years of Domitian's administration.

Mint Organization and Manufacturing Techniques

All evidence associates the production of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70 exclusively with the principal imperial mint located in Rome. Following the civil wars of AD 68 to 69 and the centralization executed under Vespasian, provincial minting of imperial silver in the western provinces had ceased, leaving the capital as the primary supplier of denarii for the empire. Operating on the slopes of the Caelian Hill or adjacent areas near the Colosseum, the Rome mint utilized structured officinae that operated under the supervision of equestrian procurators. Blanks for this denarius issue were cast in open or covered molds before being carefully weighed and cold- or warm-struck between hand-cut intaglio dies. The dies for this series exhibit the fine, expressive naturalism characteristic of early Flavian engravers, with prominent lettering and crisp sculptural modeling of the portrait. Output for this inaugural issue was considerable yet compressed within a tight window of just three to four months. Surviving specimens demonstrate typical mechanical features of Roman imperial production, such as varied die axes, slight planchet irregularity, and radial cracking along the flan edges resulting from rapid striking force. Die linkages between this reverse design and parallel imperial titles across the late AD 81 emissions confirm the synchronized operation of multiple production lines simultaneously processing silver bullion.

Obverse Design and Iconography

The obverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70 depicts the laureate head of the emperor facing right. Executed in the realistic tradition of Flavian court art, the portrait captures Domitian in his early thirties, possessing a round visage, well-defined brow, prominent nose, and slightly protruding chin that closely mirrors his statuary portraits from the inception of his reign. The laurel wreath sits firmly upon his head, tied at the nape of the neck with two ribbons that trail downward across the field. Unlike later portraits from the AD 90s, which emphasize an elongated, heavily idealized, and increasingly authoritarian countenance, this early depiction maintains strong family resemblance to Vespasian and Titus, balancing personal features with imperial dignity. Engravers carefully rendered the texture of the hair in short, curved locks framing the temple and forehead. The composition is encircled by a neat border of fine dots, enclosing the portrait and the imperial legend within a harmonious and well-proportioned flan. Minor stylistic variations occur across distinct dies, particularly in the truncation of the neck and the treatment of the laurel leaves, reflecting the hands of multiple artisans working within the Rome workshops.

Reverse Iconography and Religious Symbolism

The reverse design presents a square seat, or pulvinar, draped with ornamental fabric, over which rests a winged thunderbolt oriented horizontally. The draped seat represents a sacred ritual couch used in the Roman ceremony of the lectisternium, an ancient religious rite during which the images or symbols of the gods were displayed on couches before banquets to implore divine favor or offer thanksgiving. In this specific configuration, the winged thunderbolt identifies the couch as that of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, supreme protector of the Roman state. A series of related pulvinaria types appeared under Titus during the plague and volcanic crises of AD 80, and Domitian perpetuated several of these reverse types upon his accession. The thunderbolt pulvinar served a dual theological and political purpose in AD 81: it proclaimed the cosmic sanction of Jupiter over Domitian's new reign while simultaneously invoking religious piety associated with the consecration ceremonies of the newly deified Titus. The draped cloth hanging from the seat is typically rendered with delicate vertical pleats, fringes, and tassels, providing a rich textile contrast to the metallic, rigid structure of the winged thunderbolt. By deploying this emblem, the imperial mint communicated both continuity with Flavian religious policy and an assertion of supreme divine patronage under Domitian.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The legends on both faces of this denarius provide critical historical data regarding Domitian's official standing and administrative chronology. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M, running clockwise from the lower left. This formulation incorporates the praenomen imperatoris, the inherited family name Caesar, the emperor's personal name Domitianus, the title Augustus, and the honorific Pontifex Maximus, which confirmed his position as supreme head of the Roman state religion. Notably, Domitian assumed the pontificate shortly after his accession, whereas his father Vespasian had delayed accepting the title for several months in AD 69. The reverse legend reads TR P COS VII DES VIII P P, continuing the administrative narrative around the upper periphery. This records the tribunician power (Tribunicia Potestas), his current seventh consulship (Consul VII), his designation to assume an eighth consulship on January 1 of the following year (Designatus VIII), and the title Pater Patriae (Father of the Country). The presence of COS VII alongside DES VIII firmly restricts the manufacture of this issue to the period between Domitian's accession in mid-September AD 81 and the assumption of his eighth consulship on January 1, AD 82. The epigraphy displays the sharp, serifed Roman capitals characteristic of the imperial capital, with uniform letter heights that follow the curved curve of the beaded borders.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In modern numismatic typologies, this issue is designated as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70, replacing the earlier numbering scheme of the original 1926 catalog where related pulvinaria were arranged less precisely. The type belongs to Domitian's First Issue of AD 81, struck exclusively between mid-September and late December of that year. Within this inaugural emission, the Rome mint produced a suite of denarii sharing identical obverse and reverse titulature but displaying distinct reverse motifs. These motifs included traditional sacrificial implements, a curule chair, a dolphin entwined around an anchor, a rostral column, and varied pulvinaria honoring different deities such as Minerva and Jupiter. RIC 70 represents the specific pairing of the laureate obverse with the winged thunderbolt on the draped pulvinar. This design quickly disappeared from the regular silver coinage when Domitian assumed his eighth consulship in January AD 82, prompting a full revision of reverse inscriptions to COS VIII. When Domitian subsequently embarked upon his major silver reform later in AD 82 and later shifted his standard reverse repertory toward an almost exclusive focus on the goddess Minerva in AD 83 to 84, the pulvinar types were entirely abandoned. Consequently, RIC 70 stands as an isolated, tightly bound chronological marker within the early Flavian series.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Evidence

Although minted for only a few months, specimens of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70 entered widespread circulation across the provinces, traveling along standard military and commercial supply lines. Silver denarii minted at Rome were routinely shipped in bulk to legionary headquarters on the Rhine, Danube, and British frontiers to pay military salaries, while substantial quantities circulated within Italy and the urbanized centers of the western Mediterranean. Archaeological hoard evidence from Britain, Germany, and the Danubian basin confirms that denarii from Domitian's inaugural AD 81 issues circulated alongside both Vespasianic currency and later reformed issues for several decades. Because Domitian raised the silver standard in AD 82, pre-reform coins like RIC 70 were theoretically vulnerable to selective withdrawal or melting under Gresham's Law. However, hoarding patterns indicate that they remained in the active currency pool well into the second century AD, often showing moderate to heavy wear in hoards deposited during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. When Trajan initiated large-scale recoinages and demonetized older, worn silver after the Dacian Wars, many surviving Flavian denarii were systematically withdrawn, making pristine, high-grade examples of this short-lived accession issue relatively scarce in modern assemblages.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 297-300
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Reform of Nero to the Reform of Trajan. pp. 370-385
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE): RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70. RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 70
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). pp. 268-270, no. 70