Titus Silver Denarius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96

Monetary Context

The monetary system of the early Flavian dynasty inherited the broad structural framework established by the Neronian currency reform of AD 64. Under this system, the silver denarius served as the backbone of Roman interprovincial commerce, state expenditure, and military remuneration. Following the civil wars of AD 68 to 69, Vespasian restored fiscal equilibrium to the imperial treasury through strict budgetary oversight and high-volume minting of silver and bronze coinages. When Titus acceded to the purple in AD 79, he maintained the metrological parameters established by his father. Flavian denarii of this period were struck at an average theoretical weight of approximately 3.2 to 3.4 grams with a silver fineness hovering between 80 and 85 percent, reflecting the prevailing Neronian standard. The production of silver denarii under Titus was concentrated at the central mint in Rome, which had reasserted complete control over imperial precious-metal coinage after auxiliary western mints closed during Vespasian's reign. In AD 80, the empire faced significant fiscal pressures, including reconstruction following the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, a major fire in Rome, and ongoing construction of the Colosseum. Despite these expenses, silver issues such as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96 were struck on a consistent standard, playing a key role in paying the legions and stabilizing the monetary economy while simultaneously serving as high-visibility vehicles for dynastic communication.

Production and Mints

RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96 was struck exclusively at the imperial mint of Rome. In earlier years of the Flavian period, branch mints had operated in places such as Lugdunum and several eastern mint centers, but by AD 80 all regular imperial silver denarius production had been consolidated in the capital. The Roman mint operated with a sophisticated hierarchical division of labor, organized into distinct workshops known as officinae. Skilled celators carved obverse and reverse dies from hardened bronze or iron, producing dies capable of striking several thousand coins before degrading. Blank silver flans were cast in molds or prepared from chopped cast bars, heated, and struck between paired dies using heavy hammer blows. Surviving specimens across Flavian denarius series frequently exhibit axial die orientations, most commonly positioned at six o'clock or twelve o'clock, reflecting standardized workshop practices. The physical fabric of coins of this type displays characteristic beveling along the edge and light flan irregularities consistent with rapid manual striking. Although precise emission quantities for individual die pairings are unrecorded in antiquity, the survival of multiple specimens across international collections demonstrates that denarii celebrating Domitian's seventh consulship in AD 80 formed part of a substantial, organized emission rather than an experimental or donor-restricted issue.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96 features the head of Domitian facing right, crowned with a laurel wreath whose ties hang behind his neck. The portraiture is rendered in the characteristic Flavian realistic style, depicting the junior prince with fleshy features, a pronounced chin, a slightly hooked nose, and carefully arranged locks of hair beneath the wreath. This portraiture represents an evolving stage in Flavian iconography. During Vespasian's reign, portraits of Domitian often appeared youthful and subsidiary to those of his father and older brother. By AD 80, during the sole reign of Titus, Domitian's facial characteristics assumed a mature, authoritative appearance, emphasizing his readiness for supreme command should the need arise. The laurel wreath was an ancient emblem of triumph, divine favor, and imperial status. By presenting Domitian laureate on precious-metal issues struck under Titus, the regime visibly elevated the prince far above private citizens and provincial aristocrats, framing him as a co-regent in spirit and the undisputed successor to the imperial throne.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of this type displays a dense matrix of Roman military and political symbolism. The central motif depicts two clasped right hands, known in Latin as the dextrarum iunctio, grasping a legionary aquila mounted atop the rostrum or prow of a warship. The clasped hands represented Concordia, friendship, and inviolable loyalty (fides), commonly employed to illustrate unity between individuals, between the army and the princeps, or between co-rulers within the ruling dynasty. The aquila was the paramount sacred standard of the Roman legion, representing the martial honor and divine protection of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. The addition of the ship's prow introduced a distinct naval element, evocative of Rome's mastery of the seas and the pivotal role played by the imperial fleets at Ravenna and Misenum. Combined into a unified composition, this iconography announced the steadfast allegiance of both land and naval forces to the Flavian house and specifically to Domitian as heir. In the context of AD 80, when rumors of friction between the brothers were noted by later literary sources such as Suetonius, the official numismatic message insistently proclaimed harmonious accord, familial unity, and military solidarity.

Epigraphy and Legends

The legends on RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96 are inscribed in classical Roman imperial capitals, executed with sharp, well-proportioned lettering. The obverse legend reads CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS COS VII, arranged circularly beginning from the lower left. This inscription expands as Caesar Augusti Filius Domitianus Consul Septimum, translating to 'Caesar Domitian, son of Augustus, Consul for the seventh time.' The title Caesar marked him as a member of the imperial household, while Augusti Filius emphasized his direct descent from the deified Vespasian, who had died in AD 79. The consular iteration COS VII provides an exact chronological anchor, recording Domitian's entry into his seventh consulship on January 1, AD 80, an office he shared with Titus who was serving his eighth consulship. The reverse legend reads PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS, translating to 'Leader of the Youth.' This archaic honorific title had been revived by Augustus for his grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar, designating the patron of the equestrian order and the officially recognized successor to the reigning emperor. Its presence on the reverse reinforced the dynastic message of the iconography, identifying Domitian as the guardian of the Roman elite and the designated heir to the purple.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification systems of Roman numismatics, this issue occupies a specific position within the coinage struck under Titus for members of his imperial family. In the revised second edition of The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1, edited by I. A. Carradice and T. V. Buttrey, this issue is designated as Titus 96. It was previously catalogued under different numbering in the 1926 first edition by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham, where it was grouped among the general Flavian dynastic issues. The issue belongs exclusively to the year AD 80, established by the combination of Domitian's seventh consulship (COS VII) on the obverse and the imperial authority of Titus, who held the tribunician power and supreme imperium throughout that year. Contemporary denarii of AD 80 struck at Rome for Domitian also feature alternative reverse types, including an altar, a helmeted Minerva, a pegasus, and a seated figure of Pax or Ceres. The clasped hands on prow type (RIC 96) stands out within this programmatic series for its explicitly martial and naval undertone, distinguishing it from purely sacrificial or civil reverse themes struck during the same consular year.

Circulation, Hoards, and Wear Patterns

Denarii of the Flavian period enjoyed long and extensive circulation across the Roman Empire, often surviving in daily use for several decades. Evidence from numismatic hoard finds throughout Britain, Gaul, the Rhine-Danube frontier, and the Italian peninsula shows that silver denarii struck under Titus and Domitian circulated side by side with earlier Neronian and subsequent Trajanic issues. Because the silver standard established under Nero and maintained through Titus remained relatively stable until Trajan's subsequent debasement, these coins did not suffer from immediate selective hoarding or melting under Gresham's Law. Many preserved specimens of RIC 96 exhibit moderate to heavy wear on the highest points of the relief, particularly the wreath ties and brow of Domitian on the obverse and the intricate detail of the eagle's wings and ship's prow on the reverse. Such wear confirms that these coins circulated actively in commercial transactions and military payments well into the second century AD, until the great recoinage programs under Trajan and later emperors gradually removed early imperial silver from circulation.

References

1. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Peace of Augustus to the Reform of Trajan. pp. 385-400
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. p. 240, no. 91
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 96. ric.2_1(2).tit.96
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). p. 207, no. 96