Titus Bronze Sestertius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257

Monetary and Historical Context

The issue of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257 was struck against the backdrop of critical dynastic consolidation following the upheaval of the civil wars of AD 68 to 69. Following the passing of Vespasian on 23 June AD 79, Titus succeeded without military challenge, becoming the first Roman biological son to succeed his father as princeps. To secure ideological authority and project dynastic permanence, the young regime immediately orchestrated the deification of Vespasian. The Roman Senate sanctioned his consecratio, elevating the deceased ruler into the Roman state pantheon as Divus Vespasianus. The imperial administration utilized the monetary system as a primary medium to broadcast this transformation throughout the Mediterranean. In the imperial bronze hierarchy established under Augustus and maintained by the Flavians, the sestertius stood as the premier large-denomination coin, valued at four asses or two dupondii. With an average weight approaching twenty-eight grams and a broad flan of thirty-four to thirty-six millimetres, the sestertius offered an expansive visual plane. Titus utilized this canvas to mount ceremonial propaganda that resonated with traditional Roman religious and civic ceremonies, particularly the triumphal and circensian processions in which images of the deified emperors were carried in sacred carriages.

Production, Metallurgy, and Minting

Numismatic scholarship firmly attributes this sestertius type to the principal imperial mint at Rome. Titus maintained centralized production of bronze coinage in the capital, relying on an established network of skilled die-engravers (scalptores) and mint workers (monetarii) operating under the oversight of imperial procurators. Flavian sestertii of this period were produced in orichalcum, an alloy composed predominantly of copper with a substantial zinc content, typically ranging between twelve and twenty percent. This metal yielded a lustrous, brass-like appearance that visually differentiated the sestertius and dupondius from the red pure copper used for the as and quadrans. Blanks were cast in individual moulds or derived from cast strips, trimmed, heated, and struck between hand-held intaglio dies. The obverse die was generally fixed into an anvil, while the upper reverse die received direct blows from heavy sledgehammers. Production patterns reveal an intentional alignment practice, typically showing a vertical die axis of six or twelve o'clock, characteristic of regular Roman imperial workshops. Metrological analyses across Flavian sestertii indicate an intended weight standard hovering between twenty-six and twenty-eight grams, though individual surviving specimens naturally exhibit variance due to production tolerances, ancient circulation wear, and chemical weathering in burial environments.

Obverse Typology and Iconography

The obverse field of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257 presents an elaborate ceremonial scene laden with sacral and imperial symbolism. Divus Vespasian is shown deified, seated in profile facing right on a high-backed curule chair or throne mounted upon an ornamental processional carriage (tensae or car). In his hands, the deified emperor holds an upright sceptre, an ancient attribute of Jupiter and deified sovereigns denoting celestial dominion and eternal majesty. The processional car is drawn forward by a team of four elephants (quadriga of elephants), walking in stepped formation to the right. Each elephant is mounted by a small attendant rider or mahout who directs the beast. Elephants carried potent symbolic resonance in ancient Rome, associated not only with military power and triumphs in Africa and the East, but also with longevity, royal splendour, and posthumous consecration. The motif directly evokes the procession of the tensae during the pompa circensis, wherein the statues and effigies of divinities and deified Augusti were paraded from the Capitoline Hill into the Circus Maximus to preside over the games. The composition draws upon a precedent established under Tiberius for the deified Augustus, deliberately linking the Flavian house to Julio-Claudian precedents of venerated imperial lineage.

Reverse Typology and Composition

In contrast to the rich figural tableau of the obverse, the reverse of this type is distinguished by an architectural and epigraphic design. The central field is dominated entirely by the massive letters S C, signifying Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). This monumental monogram was the constitutional stamp of Roman aes coinage, denoting senatorial oversight over the copper, brass, and bronze denominations, even while actual minting policy remained firmly under the directive of the emperor. By placing S C prominently in the focal centre rather than relegating it to the lower field or exergue, the design establishes an explicit partnership between the Princeps and the aristocratic Senate in honouring the late father of the dynasty. Enclosing this central monogram is a continuous circular legend running clockwise from the lower left: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII. The absence of an internal figure focuses all visual attention on the sovereign titles of Titus and the senatorial authority sanctioning the consecration. The engraving demonstrates the high classicizing calligraphic standard of the Rome mint during the early 80s AD, with deeply cut, beautifully proportioned serifs executed with technical precision.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257 operate in careful tandem to articulate dynastic legitimacy and state religion. The obverse legend reads DIVO AVG VESP S P Q R, abbreviating Divo Augusto Vespasiano Senatus Populusque Romanus ('To the Deified Augustus Vespasian, from the Senate and the People of Rome'). Unusually, this dedicatory formula places the honouree in the dative case (Divo Augusto Vespasiano), identifying the coin itself as a dedicatory monument offered jointly by the Senate and the citizenry of Rome to the newly elevated god. The reverse legend bears Titus's complete official titulature as the reigning monarch: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII. Expanded, this reads Imperator Titus Caesar, Divi Vespasiani Filius, Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Consul Octavum. This titulature carries immense political weight. The designation DIVI VESP F ('Son of the Divine Vespasian') directly reinforces Titus's claim to rule as divi filius, matching the foundational authority adopted by Augustus following the consecration of Julius Caesar. The epigraphic sequence systematically lists his chief executive powers: supreme civil leadership as Augustus, religious leadership as Pontifex Maximus, democratic and protective authority via Tribunicia Potestas, national fatherhood as Pater Patriae, and his constitutional executive status through his eighth consulship.

Typology, Dating, and Chronological Placement

The dating of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257 is securely established by the reverse inscription citing Titus's eighth consulship (COS VIII). Titus entered his eighth consulship on 1 January AD 80, holding the office alongside his younger brother Domitian (who was COS VII). Titus's unexpected death occurred on 13 September AD 81, providing an unequivocal chronological window of January AD 80 to September AD 81 for the striking of this issue. Within the wider Flavian monetary sequence, this sestertius belongs to a coordinated wave of consecratio and restoration issues struck during Titus's brief sole reign. Concurrently, the Rome mint produced smaller denominations, including denarii and dupondii, featuring related themes such as radiant heads of Divus Vespasian, empty curule chairs, and sacrificial symbols. The elephant tensae type was also struck under Titus with varying reverse arrangements, as well as being continued and reissued by Domitian following Titus's death. Modern classification in the revised Roman Imperial Coinage separates this exact type from earlier Julio-Claudian prototypes and later Domitianic variants by the specific pairing of the elephant carriage facing right with the reverse legend ending precisely in COS VIII surrounding large central letters S C.

Circulation Patterns and Monetary Role

As an orichalcum sestertius, this coin performed a dual economic and communicative role across the early Roman empire. In day-to-day transactions, sestertii represented substantial spending power, capable of purchasing substantial quantities of grain, wine, or daily manufactured goods, while serving as the primary accounting unit for commercial contracts, tax obligations, and imperial distributions. Archaeological finds and hoard records indicate that sestertii issued under the Flavians circulated heavily across the western provinces of Britannia, Gallia, the Germanies, and Hispania, as well as the Italian heartland. Because sestertii were minted from durable orichalcum, they possessed remarkable circulation longevity, often remaining in active market exchange for over a century through the Antonine and Severan periods until severe currency debasements in the third century rendered them obsolete. Many surviving Flavian specimens exhibit pronounced wear from decades of hand-to-hand transactions, occasionally showing evidence of ancient countermarking or flattening. Despite this practical commercial circulation, the elevated iconographic subject matter ensured that whenever the coin exchanged hands, it reaffirmed the sacralized foundation of the Flavian dynasty and celebrated the triumph of Roman civic religion across all tiers of provincial and urban society.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. Mattingly, H. (1930), p. 263
2. The Aes Coinage of Rome and Its Provinces. Kraay, C. M. (1963), Numismatic Chronicle, 7th Ser., Vol. 3, pp. 1-17
3. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Mattingly, H. (1960), Methuen & Co., London
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257. RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 257
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). Carradice, I. and Buttrey, T.V. (2007), p. 216, no. 257