Titus Bronze Sestertius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 402

Monetary Context and the Flavian Restitution Program

During the brief reign of Titus (AD 79-81), the Roman monetary system maintained the denominations formalized under the Augustan reforms, with base-metal coinage playing a critical role in civic and commercial transactions. The sestertius was the premier brass denomination, valued at four asses or one-fourth of a silver denarius. In AD 80 and 81, Titus authorized an extensive series of base-metal restoration coinages that revived obsolete coin designs from the Julio-Claudian era, especially those associated with Augustus, Agrippa, Tiberius, Drusus, Claudius, and Galba. While the Roman treasury continuously needed new base-metal specie to replace worn circulation stock, the selection of historic types was ideological rather than purely mechanical. The Flavian dynasty had taken power through civil conflict during the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69). By systematically re-striking canonical Julio-Claudian designs under the explicit rubric of REST (restituit), Titus presented his administration as the legitimate protector of early imperial tradition. Restoring the consecrated imagery of Augustus highlighted respect for senatorial authority and the established constitutional framework, distinguishing Flavian rulership from the excesses of Nero.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 402 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint located in Rome. Flavian sestertii of this era were cast and struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper-zinc alloy favored for its visual appeal and metallic durability. The production conformed to the standard imperial weight norm for the sestertius, typically targeting approximately one Roman ounce (around 27.28 grams), though individual well-preserved survivors across the broader type series generally range between 24 and 29 grams, with flan diameters averaging between 33 and 36 millimeters. Mint workers prepared heavy cast flans that were hammered between paired iron dies. Engravers at the Rome mint executed these restitution dies with deliberate stylistic reverence, carefully copying the spatial arrangement, proportions, and iconographic details of early Julio-Claudian archetypes while utilizing contemporary Flavian epigraphy and portrait relief techniques. Die axis orientation for these issues predominantly adhered to the traditional Roman six o'clock (down) or twelve o'clock (up) alignments.

Obverse Iconography: The Deified Augustus

The obverse displays the deified Augustus, identified by the inscription DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER, which curves along the perimeter. Augustus is portrayed as a monumental cult figure, seated facing left upon an ornate, backless throne with his feet supported on an ornamental footstool. He is crowned with a radiate solar diadem, a conventional symbol of divine status granted posthumously to deified Roman rulers. In his outstretched right hand, Augustus holds a broad patera, a libation bowl representing religious piety and continuous sacrifice, while his raised left hand grasps a tall vertical sceptre symbolizing imperial sovereignty. Directly before the seated figure, on the ground to the left, stands a lighted garlanded altar. This carefully composed scene directly copies the famous consecration sestertii issued under Tiberius around AD 22-23 to commemorate the dedication of the statue and cult of the deified founder of the Principate. The visual composition reaffirmed the foundational divinity of the Roman imperial office to contemporary Flavian viewers.

Reverse Iconography: The Senatorial Decree and Imperial Authority

The reverse design is austere and authoritative, dominated by the massive letters S C located in the center of the field. This abbreviation denotes Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), marking the traditional constitutional authorization that governed the issuance of copper and brass coinage within the Roman state. Enclosing the central letters is a dense, circular legend containing the complete official titulature of Emperor Titus, concluding with the specialized restorative formula REST. The compositional structure matches earlier imperial sestertii where the central S C acted as the visual anchor. Unlike standard contemporary sestertii of Titus that featured allegorical personifications such as Pax, Aequitas, or Roma, or architectural monuments like the Colosseum, the restitution reverse consciously elevated institutional authority. By juxtaposing the Senate's traditional formula with the emperor's restorative inscription, the type emphasized harmonious collaboration between the Princeps and the Roman Senate.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The legends on this type provide critical administrative, religious, and chronological data. The obverse legend reads DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER ('Divine Augustus the Father'). This phrase honors Augustus in his consecrated celestial form while recalling his honorific title Pater Patriae. The reverse carries an exhaustive imperial formula: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII REST. Expanded, this reads Imperator Titus Caesar, Divi Vespasiani Filius, Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Consul Octavum, Restituit. This title defines Titus as Emperor, son of the deified Vespasian, Augustus, Chief Priest, holder of tribunician power, Father of the Fatherland, and consul for the eighth time. The concluding abbreviation REST is the defining marker of the restitution class, formally declaring that Titus restored this historic coin design. The lettering demonstrates the classic Flavian epigraphic style, characterized by crisp, deeply cut serifed capitals designed to maximize legibility along the outer margin.

Typology and Chronological Classification

The precise dating of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 402 is established by Titus's eighth consulship (COS VIII), which commenced on January 1, AD 80. Titus retained this consular iteration until his death on September 13, AD 81, providing a secure chronological window of AD 80 to 81. In the first edition of Roman Imperial Coinage, the Flavian restitution series was catalogued under broad groupings, but the revised second edition by Carradice and Buttrey systematically organizes the series by issuer, prototype, and consular year. Type 402 specifically isolates the Rome mint issue featuring the seated radiate Divus Augustus with an altar on the obverse paired with the S C reverse and the COS VIII REST titulature. The issue parallels similar restitution sestertii and middle bronzes honoring Augustus with distinct attributes, such as holding a branch instead of a patera, or depicting a temple, quadriga, or portrait bust, each assigned distinct type numbers in modern reference corpora.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Economic Role

Although minted to high artistic and political standards, sestertii of type 402 functioned as regular circulating currency within Italy and the western Roman provinces. Archaeological excavations and coin hoard analyses throughout Europe indicate that restored Flavian bronze and brass issues circulated side by side with both worn Julio-Claudian originals and standard Flavian types. While their unique retrospective legends distinguish them in modern numismatic study, Roman merchants and consumers treated them according to their intrinsic metal value and denomination. Because the sestertius was the primary accounting unit and the workhorse denomination for mid-level market transactions, surviving specimens frequently exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear. Over subsequent decades, these coins gradually disappeared from circulation through progressive withdrawal, recoinage under Trajan and Hadrian, and burial in mixed Antonine-era hoards, marking the gradual conclusion of their active commercial utility.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 281-285
2. Die Restitutionsmünzen der frühen Kaiserzeit: Aspekte der Kaiserlegitimation. pp. 51-78
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 402. ric.2_1(2).tit.402
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: Vespasian to Domitian (second edition). pp. 233-238, no. 402