Titus Sestertius: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 155

Monetary Context

The sestertius occupied a central structural position within the monetary system instituted by Augustus and preserved by the Flavian emperors. Valued at one quarter of an argentiferous denarius, four dupondii, or sixteen copper asses, the sestertius was the highest denomination regularly struck in base metal. By the accession of Titus in June of AD 79, the Imperial monetary economy had absorbed substantial structural pressures, including the fiscal commitments of expansive public works, state distributions, and the recovery operations following natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and the destructive fire in Rome in AD 80. Despite these treasury burdens, Titus maintained the monetary standards established during the reign of his father, Vespasian, without altering the baseline weight or metallographic profile of the primary brass denominations. The sestertius functioned as a vital bridge between high-value precious-metal currency used in military payrolls, taxation, and state accounting, and the lower-denomination copper coinage employed in quotidian marketplace exchanges. Its broad diameter and substantial flan offered the imperial administration an expansive surface for iconographic and ideological messaging, permitting detailed personifications and comprehensive official titulature to be broadcast widely across the Roman world.

Production and Mints

Production of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 155 was concentrated exclusively at the central urban mint of Rome. In contrast to the early years of Vespasian's reign, during which active branch mints operated in Lugdunum, Hispania, and the eastern provinces to stabilize regional supply, Flavian bronze production had become almost entirely centralized at Rome by the early AD 80s. The coin was manufactured from orichalcum, an alloy of copper and zinc known to contemporary Roman society for its brilliant golden luster when freshly minted. Blanks were cast in open or bivalve molds to approximate target weights before being hot-struck between engraved bronze or iron dies. The heavy physical impact required to displace the large volume of metal in a sestertius necessitated sturdy coining apparatus, frequently resulting in slight die shifts, irregular edge bevels, and minor flan cracking at the margins. Surviving sestertii of Titus from this issue period generally reflect a targeted weight standard clustered around 24 to 28 grams, though specimen weights can deviate significantly due to ancient manufacturing tolerances, alloy variations, and subsequent chemical corrosion in the burial environment.

Obverse Imagery and Style

The obverse of the type presents a mature portrait of Titus, depicted with a laurel wreath and turned distinctly to the left. The leftward orientation is relatively uncommon compared to the standard right-facing imperial profiles of the Flavian period, marking this issue as a deliberate typological variant within the mint's organizational scheme. Stylistically, the portrait exhibits the hallmark realism of the Rome mint during the mature Flavian era: the emperor is rendered with fleshy features, a broad jawline, a prominent brow, and tightly cropped curls beneath the laurel wreath, closely mirroring the sculptural portraiture of his sole reign. The ties of the laurel wreath fall naturally behind the truncation of the neck. The imperial portrait is fully surrounded by the continuous obverse inscription, framed neatly within an outer border of fine beads. The engraving reflects the work of highly skilled urban die-cutters, who balanced portrait relief with the depth required to ensure sustained legibility under heavy coining pressure.

Reverse Iconography and Design

The reverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 155 features the standing personification of Pax, the embodiment of peace, facing left. Draped in a stola and mantle that cascade to her feet, Pax holds an extended olive branch in her right hand, signaling the peaceful conditions achieved throughout the empire, while cradling a cornucopiae in her left arm to symbolize the resultant agricultural fecundity, prosperity, and material abundance. Flanking the standing figure in the lower fields is the large two-letter abbreviation S C, standing for Senatus Consulto, indicating that the base-metal issue was produced by decree of the Roman Senate. This iconography was deeply embedded in the ideological rhetoric of the Flavian regime, which consistently positioned its rulers as restorers of civil tranquility and guarantors of stability following the catastrophic conflicts of AD 68 to 69. By uniting the imagery of peace and abundance on the empire's largest base-metal coin, the administration communicated a reassuring message of divine favor and civic prosperity to the population of the capital and the provinces alike.

Legends and Epigraphy

The legends of this issue are rendered in crisp Roman square capitals, characteristic of the primary urban workshops. The obverse carries the comprehensive imperial title: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII. This inscription unpacks into Imperator Titus Caesar Vespasianus Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Consul Octavum. The formula proclaims Titus's supreme military salutation, his dynastic and imperial names, his status as chief priest of the Roman state religion, his ongoing tribunician authority, his civic honor as Father of the Country, and his eighth consulship. The reverse legend is simpler, reading PAX AVGVST, abbreviating Pax Augusta (Augustan Peace), complemented by the senatorial sanction S C across the lower left and right fields. The epigraphic arrangement is carefully spaced along the peripheral margins, with the bottom of the letters oriented inward toward the central figures, conforming to standard imperial coining practices of the first century AD.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the cataloging framework of the modern standard reference, The Roman Imperial Coinage (Volume II, Part 1, second edition, edited by Carradice and Buttrey), this exact type is classified as Titus 155. It forms part of the consolidated series of aes coinage struck during Titus's eighth consulship (COS VIII), which began on January 1, AD 80, and continued until his death on September 13, AD 81. In the first edition of RIC II, cataloged by Mattingly and Sydenham in 1926, the bronze issues of Titus were arranged with different numbering; the 2007 second edition comprehensively reorganized the Flavian corpus based on improved die links, hoard compositions, and stylistic groupings. RIC 155 is closely related to RIC 154, which shares the identical reverse type and titular formula but exhibits a standard right-facing imperial portrait. Other contemporaneous sestertii of the COS VIII issue feature alternative reverse personifications, such as Annona, Felicitas, and Fides, as well as architectural and commemorative types, demonstrating an active, multifaceted coining program during the final two years of Titus's life.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Due to its intrinsic purchasing power and durable orichalcum composition, sestertii of this series circulated widely throughout Roman Italy and the northwestern frontier provinces, including Britain, Gaul, and the Germanies. Unlike silver denarii, which were frequently hoarded or remelted during periods of monetary reform or inflation, base-metal sestertii remained in active circulation for decades, often staying in daily commercial use well into the Antonine and Severan eras. Consequently, recovered specimens of RIC 155 commonly display moderate to heavy wear, smoothing of high-relief features, and natural corrosion patinas characteristic of prolonged terrestrial deposition. Archaeological findspots from urban settlements, military fortifications, and river crossings attest to the vital functional role played by Flavian sestertii in facilitating high-volume transactions, state contract settlements, and regional retail trade across multiple generations of users.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 260-264
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 155. ric.2_1(2).tit.155
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). pp. 206-210, no. 155