Titus Gold Aureus, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The emission of gold coinage under Titus fulfilled both fiscal requirements and ideological imperatives following the turbulent civil wars of AD 69 and the subsequent consolidation of Flavian rule. The aureus functioned as the preeminent denomination in Roman state finances, employed primarily for significant imperial expenditures, military stipends, donatives, and state treasury reserves. Valued at twenty-five silver denarii or one hundred brass sestertii, imperial aurei carried unmatched prestige and visual authority across the provinces. When Titus succeeded his father in June of AD 79, one of his immediate administrative priorities was securing the formal deification of Vespasian by the Senate. Consecration was not merely an act of filial piety; it established Titus as the son of a god (divi filius), echoing the political formula originally perfected by Augustus. The production of the deification gold coinage represented by RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360 in AD 80 and AD 81 formed a cornerstone of this dynastic legitimation. By distributing consecrated imagery in the most valuable medium of the monetary system, the central administration reminded military commanders, provincial administrators, and financial elites that the authority of the reigning emperor was anchored in divine right and dynastic stability.

Mint Organization and Physical Production

The production of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360 took place entirely at the principal imperial mint in Rome. Under Flavian monetary centralization, Rome operated as the primary locus for precious-metal coinage, while western and eastern branch mints had largely ceased regular gold striking by the late 70s AD. Die cutters at Rome worked under strict supervisory control, executing dies that achieved high artistic consistency and exceptional sculptural depth. The blanks, or flans, were cast in nearly pure gold and carefully adjusted to match the post-Neronian imperial weight standard of 1/45th of a Roman pound, yielding an intended modal weight in the range of approximately 7.25 to 7.35 grams, with an average diameter of around 19 to 20 millimeters. Hot striking within fixed or semi-fixed die orientations ensured sharp transfers of both high-relief portraiture and miniature reverse architecture. Metallurgical analyses of contemporary Flavian aurei confirm fineness figures consistently exceeding ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent pure gold. The technical execution of the temple-formed chariot car demonstrates the remarkable virtuosity of the Rome mint engravers, who managed to delineate architectural columns, entablatures, pediments, and flanking statuary across a surface area measuring less than one square centimeter.

Obverse Iconography and Consecration Portraiture

The obverse of this aureus presents the laureate head of Divus Vespasian facing right. Rather than depicting the reigning Princeps, the coin shifts focus to the deceased emperor, who is represented in an idealized yet recognizable naturalistic style. Flavian portraiture is noted for its veristic grounding, retaining characteristic personal features such as broad cheekbones, a furrowed brow, and a firm, square jawline. However, in this consecration series, these earthly traits are subtly tempered by classicizing elegance, transforming the pragmatic general and administrator into a serene divinity. The laurel wreath encircling his head functions simultaneously as an emblem of earthly military triumphs and a divine attribute shared with Apollo. The bust truncation is neat and compact, positioned centrally within a finely beaded outer border that frames the uninterrupted circumscription. The dies for this issue present Vespasian in an heroic, elevated light, devoid of mortal frailty, visually conveying his successful passage from temporal sovereign to celestial patron of Rome.

Reverse Iconography and Funerary Symbolism

The reverse design presents an intricate and highly symbolic composition: a slow quadriga advancing towards the left, drawing a chariot car fashioned in the form of a miniature, richly ornamented temple. The procession is solemn, with four horses moving at a measured walking pace rather than the gallop typical of triumphal race scenes. The chariot structure itself is an architectural marvel of coin design, displaying pedimental decoration, structural columns, and delicate relief work along the panels. Surmounting the roof of this transportable shrine are two miniature figures of Victory, each carrying attributes celebrating eternal triumph. This imagery represents the pompa circensis or consecration procession, during which the images of deified rulers were transported into the Circus Maximus to witness the games alongside traditional Roman gods. The inclusion of the temple-car directly references the physical tensa or sacred vehicle reserved for divine transport. Flanking or supporting this sacred procession is the senatorial mark, emphasizing the constitutional reality that divine honors were decreed through formal legislative acts.

Epigraphic Analysis and Inscriptions

The inscriptions on RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360 are concise, deliberate, and pregnant with constitutional meaning. The obverse legend reads DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESPASIANVS, commencing on the lower left and running clockwise around the portrait. This formula explicitly names the subject as divine (DIVVS), an honorific reserved exclusively for posthumously consecrated emperors. It omits standard living titles such as IMPERATOR as a praenomen, TRIBVNICIA POTESTAS, PONTIFEX MAXIMVS, and PATER PATRIAE, reflecting Vespasian's departure from active civic administration into immortal status. The reverse carries the abbreviated formula EX S C, signifying 'Ex Senatus Consulto' (by decree of the Senate). In imperial gold and silver, which were technically struck under direct imperial prerogative, the appearance of EX S C is exceptional. Its deliberate inclusion on this gold issue affirms that Vespasian's elevation to the pantheon was ratified by a formal senatus consultum, celebrating the harmony between the Princeps and the aristocratic legislative body.

Typology, Classification, and Chronological Placement

Within the cataloguing framework of Roman Imperial Coinage, this specific gold variety is distinguished as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360. Struck between AD 80 and the sudden death of Titus in September of AD 81, it belongs to the second major phase of the consecration issues for Vespasian. In earlier studies, such as the original 1926 first edition of RIC II, Flavian posthumous types were occasionally conflated or loosely organized across several mints. The revised second edition by Carradice and Buttrey established precise chronological phasing based on die linkages, titulature evolution, and hoard composition, firmly assigning this type to the urban mint of Rome in the final two years of Titus's reign. Parallel issues exist in silver, where the denarius denomination carries related iconography of deification, though the slow quadriga with temple car remains one of the most distinctive and visually elaborate compositions in gold. The type should not be confused with later consecration aurei struck under Domitian, which display different legend arrangements and reverse motifs, nor with living issues of Vespasian celebrating earlier military triumphs.

Circulation Patterns, Hoarding, and Preservation

As an aureus struck at a high gold purity, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360 circulated primarily among wealthy commercial circles, imperial financial institutions, and military officers. Aurei were rarely spent in everyday retail transactions; instead, they served as substantial stores of wealth, instruments for major property acquisitions, or diplomatic gifts. Because Roman gold coins were preserved carefully against physical friction, surviving specimens often exhibit relatively minimal circulation wear, though many reveal traces of handling, edge testing, or modern collection mounting. Imperial gold hoards discovered throughout the Roman Empire, from the northwestern frontier along the Rhine and Danube to Italian domestic contexts, demonstrate that aurei of Titus and Vespasian remained in active circulation well into the second century AD. They circulated alongside subsequent Domitianic and Trajanic issues until the massive recoinage programs of Trajan gradually absorbed older, slightly heavier pre-debasement gold from private hoards and commercial channels.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 244-245
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 360. ric.2_1(2).tit.360
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). p. 219, no. 360
4. Roman Coins. pp. 182-185