Titus Denarius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 115

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The monetary system inherited by Titus upon his accession in June of AD 79 was defined by the sweeping administrative and fiscal reorganizations enacted under his father, Vespasian. Following the devastating civil conflicts of the Year of the Four Emperors in AD 68 to 69, Vespasian systematically overhauled imperial finances and restored regular production at the central mint in Rome. Under this Flavian framework, the silver denarius served as the operational backbone of imperial state finance, market commerce, and military remuneration throughout the Mediterranean world. The silver denarius was struck at an average theoretical weight of approximately 3.25 to 3.35 grams, with an alloy maintaining a silver fineness of roughly 80 to 82 percent, continuing the standards established after Nero's reform of AD 64. When Titus assumed sole rule, Rome faced acute structural pressures, including the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in late AD 79 and a destructive urban fire accompanied by plague in Rome in AD 80. Despite these crises, the regime maintained expansive public munificence. The year AD 80 was marked by the grand inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre, an extravaganza designed to project dynastic stability and imperial patronage. Production of precious metal coinage at Rome expanded rapidly to meet the expenses associated with these celebrations, the rebuilding efforts in Campania and the capital, and scheduled payments to the legions. Catalogue type RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 115 emerged directly within this intensive fiscal environment.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

Catalogue type RIC 115 was manufactured exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. Under Flavian administration, the Rome mint operated through a structured departmental hierarchy, often associated numismatically with distinct officinae or working workshops that managed concurrent series of precious metal and base metal denominations. Silver planchets were produced by casting blank flans in open molds, which were subsequent adjusted, heated, and placed between hand-cut iron or bronze dies. The target weight centered near 3.3 grams, yielding an official striking standard of roughly 96 denarii to the Roman pound. While individual surviving specimens exhibit slight mass deviations typical of ancient manual production, the overall metallurgical consistency demonstrates strict quality oversight by the monetary magistrates and mint technicians. Die axes for this issue predominantly conform to a six o'clock or twelve o'clock alignment, reflecting the regulated rotational discipline maintained by the Rome mint during this period. The engraving style of the dies is characteristic of the senior artisans working in Rome, exhibiting crisp lettering, well-proportioned anatomical modeling, and intricate rendering of both the imperial portrait and the armored trappings of the reverse beast.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC 115 features a mature, right-facing portrait of Titus wearing a laurel wreath. The Flavian style practiced at Rome deliberately favored a measured verism over the idealized classicism that had defined the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Titus is rendered with his characteristic broad, heavy facial structure, a firm jawline, a prominent brow, and a muscular neck. The laurel wreath is tied neatly at the back of the head, with two ribbon ends falling downward onto the nape of the neck. Engravers at the Rome mint captured the emperor's likeness with refined depth and sculptural plasticity, balancing realistic biological features with the dignified solemnity expected of the Princeps. The circular border surrounding the portrait consists of a delicate beaded ring that frames the composition and separates the imperial bust from the peripheral inscription.

Reverse Iconography: The Cuirassed Elephant

The reverse iconography of RIC 115 is dominated by the figure of an elephant walking toward the left. In contrast to standard naturalistic depictions of wild animals, the elephant on this specific catalogue type is distinctly cuirassed, draped in protective scale armor or decorative ceremonial harness over its back and flank. In the visual vocabulary of the Roman world, the elephant carried profound symbolic connotations. It was traditionally associated with the triumphal processions of Hellenistic monarchs and Roman commanders, notably celebrated in the historical memory of the Metelli and the triumph of Pompey the Great. Elephants also represented long life, strength, and the vast geographic reach of Rome over Africa and Asia. In the immediate context of AD 80, the cuirassed elephant was directly linked to the inaugural venationes of the Flavian Amphitheatre. Contemporary accounts by Martial and Cassius Dio record that exotic animals from across the empire, including elephants, were paraded and made to fight or perform during the dedication ceremonies. The depiction of an armored elephant pacing left functioned as an evocative reminder of these public spectacles and the emperor's ability to marshal the remote wonders of the known world for the entertainment and prestige of the Roman populace.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The epigraphy of RIC 115 offers an explicit and precise historical record of Titus's constitutional standing. The obverse legend reads IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, an abbreviation for Imperator Titus Caesar Vespasianus Augustus, Pontifex Maximus. This formula incorporates Titus's imperial praenomen, his hereditary and dynastic names linking him to his deified father Vespasian, the augustan title, and his position as chief priest of the Roman state religion. On the reverse, the legend reads TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P, expanding to Tribunicia Potestate nonum, Imperator quintum decimum, Consul octavum, Pater Patriae. The ninth investiture of tribunician power commenced on 1 July AD 79 and expired on 30 June AD 80. Titus entered his eighth consulship on 1 January AD 80, alongside his brother Domitian. His fifteenth imperial acclamation was also registered during this early window of AD 80. Consequently, this precise epigraphic configuration securely anchors the production of RIC 115 to the first half of AD 80, likely coinciding closely with the dedication of the Colosseum and its attendant celebrations.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the modern classification system of Roman Imperial Coinage, revised by Ian Carradice and Ted Buttrey in 2007, the coinage of Titus at Rome is arranged into chronologically cohesive issue groups based on titular progressions. Type RIC 115 belongs to the dense series of denarii struck in AD 80 bearing the imperial iteration TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P. Within this specific grouping, the Rome mint produced a coordinated suite of reverse types, including pulvinaria or sacred couches for the gods, trophies, and animal motifs. The elephant design occurs in distinct variations across the Flavian catalog. While RIC 115 designates the elephant pacing left wearing cuirass or scale armor, closely related variants depict an elephant advancing right (such as RIC 116) or unarmored beasts. Cataloguers distinguish RIC 115 strictly by the directional orientation of the elephant toward the left and the presence of the decorative cuirass. This type was struck in parallel with corresponding aurei sharing identical iconographic themes, underscoring its role in a planned, cohesive imperial presentation series.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Afterlife

Upon entering circulation from Rome, denarii of type RIC 115 circulated broadly throughout the empire, carried by official state payments, troop transfers, and inter-provincial trade. Flavian silver circulated alongside remaining post-reform Julio-Claudian issues and was widely distributed through military camps on the Rhine and Danube frontiers, across Roman Britain, and within the urban markets of Italy. Because the silver fineness of Flavian coinage remained solid at approximately 80 percent, these denarii retained their monetary utility for well over a century. Hoard evidence from western Europe and the Danubian provinces reveals that Flavian denarii frequently occur in second-century savings deposits alongside Trajanic, Hadrianic, and Antonine issues. When Trajan recalled and melted down worn, higher-purity pre-Neronian silver around AD 107, Flavian coins were largely spared and permitted to circulate. They remained in general circulation until the massive monetary debasements of the Severan dynasty in the late second and early third centuries AD, at which point Gresham's law and formal demonetization progressively removed earlier Flavian silver from active market exchange.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1: From AD 69 to AD 96: Vespasian to Domitian (second edition). pp. 200-208, no. 115
2. Roman History, Book LXVI. 66.25
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 223-228
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 115. ric.2_1(2).tit.115