Titus As, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432

Monetary and Political Context

The accession of Titus in AD 79 occurred amid a critical phase of consolidation for the Flavian dynasty. Vespasian had successfully restored financial stability following the destructive civil wars of AD 68 to 69, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Under Titus, public administration emphasized civic benevolence, senatorial harmony, and cultural restoration, particularly after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a devastating fire and plague in Rome in AD 80. Within this sociopolitical environment, the imperial administration embarked on an extensive restitution coinage program in base metals, consisting of sestertii, dupondii, and asses. Restitution coinage systematically recalled types minted by earlier emperors whom the Flavians considered worthy models of principate authority. Figures such as Augustus, Agrippa, Tiberius, Drusus, Germanicus, Claudius, and Galba were honored, while condemned or controversial rulers like Caligula, Nero, Otho, and Vitellius were deliberately excluded. Struck between AD 80 and 81, the restitution as designated as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432 looked back directly to the coinage of Tiberius. By restoring the memory of Tiberius in his role as the adopted successor of the divine Augustus, Titus presented his own accession following the deification of Vespasian as an orderly, legitimate continuation of established Roman monarchical tradition.

Production and Mint Organization

The entire series of Titus's restitution bronzes was struck at the primary imperial mint in Rome. By the late first century AD, the mint of Rome was a highly structured industrial enterprise operating under the administrative authority of imperial procurators and senatorial magistrates. The physical workshops, or officinae, were capable of mass-producing copper-alloy coinage with high levels of metrological and iconographic consistency. Asses of this period were traditionally struck in copper or a related bronze alloy, distinguishing them from the golden-hued orichalcum typically employed for dupondii and sestertii. Roman asses of the late Flavian era adhered to an average weight standard clustering between 10.0 and 11.5 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 26 and 29 millimeters. Flans were cast in open moulds before being struck between engraved iron dies. Production of the restitution series required die-cutters to study preserved Tiberian coins from several decades earlier. The engravers meticulously rendered the facial contours and epigraphy of the Julio-Claudian prototype while executing the dies with contemporary Flavian stylistic confidence.

Obverse Iconography and Design

The obverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432 displays the bare head of Tiberius facing to the left. The portrait deliberately adopts the severe, classicizing features characteristic of Tiberian portraiture, including a prominent aquiline nose, tightly set lips, and neatly arranged Julio-Claudian locks combed forward across the brow. Presenting the head bare, without a laurel wreath, conformed strictly to the convention of Tiberius's regular as coinage, which frequently depicted the princeps bareheaded. Surrounding the portrait is the continuous Latin inscription TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VIII. This legend mirrors the standard formula found on lifetime asses of Tiberius struck during the final decade of his reign, particularly around AD 35 to 37. By preserving the directional orientation of the head to the left and retaining the archaic titular styling, the Flavian die-engraver produced an instantly identifiable homage to the second emperor.

Reverse Iconography and Composition

Unlike the obverse, which strictly copies a Julio-Claudian model, the reverse design of this as represents a Flavian compositional innovation tailored specifically to the restitution series. The center of the field is dominated by a large, boldly rendered monogram consisting of the letters S C, standing for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). This monumental lettering pays tribute to the traditional senatorial authority over base-metal coinage established at the beginning of the imperial era. Circumscribing the central S C is the complete restoration legend: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG REST. The placement of this formula around the central senatorial mark created a balanced, clean composition that unambiguously announced the coin's sponsor and nature. The reverse explicitly declared that the coin was not an original first-century Julio-Claudian striking, but an intentional revival commissioned by the reigning emperor Titus.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The epigraphy of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432 bridges two distinct periods of imperial history. The obverse legend reads TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VIII, expanding to 'Tiberius Caesar, Divi Augusti Filius, Augustus, Imperator VIII' ('Tiberius Caesar, son of the deified Augustus, Augustus, acclaimed Imperator eight times'). This formula affirms Tiberius's lineage from Divus Augustus and references his eighth imperial acclamation, an honorific count attained during his long principate. The reverse legend reads IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG REST, expanding in full Latin to 'Imperator Titus Caesar, Divi Vespasiani Filius, Augustus, Restituit' ('Imperator Titus Caesar, son of the deified Vespasian, Augustus, has restored [this coin]'). The verb 'restituit' is fundamental to understanding the piece. Numismatists have debated whether 'restituit' implied the physical melting and reminting of worn Julio-Claudian bronze coins, or the symbolic restoration of honoured ancestral types. In either interpretation, the juxtaposition of Titus as son of Divus Vespasianus against Tiberius as son of Divus Augustus creates a deliberate epigraphic parallel between the two father-son successions.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within the revised second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II.1), the restitution coinage of Titus is assigned to the concluding phase of his reign, spanning late AD 80 through his death in September of AD 81. The emission formed part of an organized programmatic release rather than an isolated striking. Under Titus, similar restitution types were produced for Augustus, Livia, Agrippa, Tiberius, Drusus, Germanicus, Claudius, and Galba across several denominations. Tiberius received attention in multiple denominations within this program, including sestertii and dupondii as well as asses. RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432 is distinguished from other Tiberian restitution pieces by the specific combination of the bare head facing left, the 'IMP VIII' obverse titulature, and the large S C on the reverse enveloped by the REST formula. Domitian continued the restitution practice early in his reign, but Titus's death in late AD 81 firmly closes the striking window for type 432.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Bronze asses formed the workhorse of everyday Roman commerce, functioning as standard currency for small daily transactions, subsistence purchases, military pay balances, and urban market trade. Because of their practical utility, asses circulated vigorously across the western provinces and the Italian peninsula. Finds from archaeological excavations in Italy and the western frontiers demonstrate that earlier Julio-Claudian bronzes remained in circulation well into the Flavian period, often heavily worn from decades of continuous handling. Titus's restitution asses circulated alongside both surviving originals and contemporary Flavian issues. While sestertii and gold restitution coins may have enjoyed special distribution among the senatorial or equestrian orders, asses like RIC 432 were absorbed into normal market transactions. Surviving specimens typically exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear, corrosion typical of urban or riverine soil, and varied strike centers, reflecting extensive utilitarian life before final deposition.

References

1. Coinage and Finances in the Reign of Domitian, A.D. 81-96. pp. 110-125
2. Die Restitutionsmünzen der frühen Kaiserzeit. pp. 45-82
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 280-291
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 432. ric.2_1(2).tit.432