Vespasian As, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1170

Monetary Context

Following the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors in AD 68 to 69, the Roman monetary system required urgent restoration. The protracted conflicts had disrupted provincial supply chains, exhausted local treasuries, and led to the widespread circulation of clipped, worn, and irregular base-metal currency across the western provinces. Vespasian undertook an energetic overhaul of the empire's fiscal infrastructure, prioritizing both fiscal solvency and the widespread dissemination of uniform token coinage. In the imperial bronze hierarchy, the as was the fundamental everyday unit of retail trade, evaluated as one-fourth of a brass sestertius and one-sixteenth of a silver denarius. The production of the as catalogued as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1170 served dual economic and political purposes: it injected dependable low-value purchasing power into the markets and military settlements of Gaul and the Rhine frontier, while simultaneously broadcasting the legitimacy, stability, and divine favor claimed by the emergent Flavian dynasty.

Production and Mints

This coin type was minted at Lugdunum, modern Lyon, which occupied an essential strategic node at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers. Since the reign of Augustus, Lugdunum had periodically served as the preeminent western mint for imperial bronze, capable of striking vast quantities of base-metal currency when the central mint at Rome could not adequately supply the European provinces. Numismatists identify the products of the Lugdunum mint through both fabric and explicit iconographic markers. Most notably, die-engravers at Lyon placed a diminutive globe directly beneath the point of the emperor's neck truncation on the obverse. Struck in a copper-based alloy or bronze, these asses were manufactured using carefully prepared flans that were hammered between engraved bronze dies. The high volume of this issue reflects an intensive, centrally organized strike in AD 71 aimed at re-establishing monetary uniformity across the western military zones.

Obverse Design

The obverse presents a right-facing, laureate head of Vespasian executed in the sober, naturalistic portrait style characteristic of early Flavian art. In conscious departure from the idealized classical features favored by the Julio-Claudians, Flavian portraiture embraced a mature, veristic likeness that emphasized Vespasian's age, martial gravitas, and civic discipline. The laurel wreath encircling his brow, bound with ribbons falling behind the neck, signified military triumph and imperial dignity. Crucial for regional attribution, a small round globe appears at the base point of the neck truncation. This diagnostic feature was systematically applied at Lugdunum to differentiate western bronze issues from those struck at Rome. The placement of the portrait is centrally balanced within an encircling linear or beaded border.

Reverse Design

The reverse iconography depicts an eagle standing frontally upon a globe with its wings broadly outspread and its head turned toward the right. Flanking the raptor in the lower fields are the large letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. The eagle was the supreme sacred creature of Jupiter Optimus Maximus and an enduring symbol of the Roman legions, while the globe represented universal dominion over the terrestrial and celestial realms. By perching the bird of Jove atop the globe, the die-engravers communicated the restoration of cosmic order and divine stewardship under Flavian rule. Furthermore, the eagle upon a globe carried strong dynastic and consecrated connotations, evoking both perpetual imperial victory and the heavenly sphere. The clean, uncrowded reverse composition focused viewer attention squarely on the majesty of the imperial bird.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVG COS IIII, curving continuously around the imperial portrait. This legend articulates Vespasian's formal constitutional and autocratic titles: Imperator (supreme commander), Caesar (dynastic heir), Vespasianus Augustus (imperial name and venerable title), and Consul Quartum (consul for the fourth time). While the fourth consulship corresponds historically to AD 72, its appearance on Lugdunum issues linked to the intensive AD 71 to 72 Flavian minting schedule reflects either anticipation of his upcoming consulship or administrative phasing at the provincial workshop. The reverse carries the concise formula S C, indicating Senatus Consulto, 'by decree of the Senate.' Although base-metal production in Gaul operated under direct imperial administration, the retention of S C preserved the traditional constitutional fiction that token copper-alloy coinage was sanctioned by senatorial authority.

Typology and Chronology

Within the typology established by the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage, type 1170 belongs to the concentrated western bronze emissions struck under Vespasian in AD 71 and closely adjacent calendar periods. The Flavian administration organized Lugdunum's coin production into organized thematic series that included allegorical figures such as Aequitas, Pax, and Victoria alongside emblematic animal and religious types. The eagle-on-globe motif was struck concurrently on asses and semisses, providing visual consistency across different token denominations. The chronological assignment to AD 71 in OCRE reflects the commencement of Lugdunum's major Flavian bronze operations, though the consular notation COS IIII on the obverse demonstrates the operational continuum running into AD 72 as dies were prepared and used across consecutive administrative cycles.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Coins of this type circulated primarily throughout Gaul, the Germanic limes, and Roman Britain, fulfilling the vast daily payment needs of legionary garrisons and provincial settlements. Archaeological excavation finds and river deposits along the Rhine, Rhone, and Thames demonstrate that the base-metal issues of Lugdunum dominated northwestern currency pools throughout the late first century AD. Due to their robust copper-alloy composition, these asses remained in active circulation for decades, often exhibiting substantial surface wear, countermarking, or patination before their eventual loss or deposition. Their distribution pattern confirms that Lugdunum's production was deliberately funneled northward and westward to supply frontiers where Roman military expenditures formed the backbone of the regional monetized economy.

References

1. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, III: Du soulèvement de 68 après J.-C. à Nerva. Lugdunum Flavian Issues
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. II: Vespasian to Domitian. Vespasian, Lugdunum
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1170. ric.2_1(2).ves.1170
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 1: From AD 69 to 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). no. 1170