Titus Dupondius, RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1253

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

During the Flavian period, Roman base-metal coinage fulfilled an essential role in daily market transactions and military commerce throughout the western provinces. The dupondius, introduced to the imperial monetary system during the Augustan currency reforms, represented a value of two asses or half a sestertius, with eight dupondii equivalent to a single silver denarius. While the sestertius served as the flagship denomination for grand civic and architectural displays, the dupondius provided practical purchasing power for intermediate commercial exchanges. Under Augustus and the Julio-Claudian emperors, the dupondius was systematically distinguished from the similarly sized as by its composition and portrait treatment. The dupondius was minted from orichalcum (a bright golden-yellow brass alloy of copper and zinc), whereas the as was struck from red copper. To ensure clear visual differentiation even after prolonged circulation had toned or tarnished the metal surface, Nero introduced the radiate crown as a standard attribute of the dupondius, while the as typically retained a laureate or bare head. This convention was adopted and strictly maintained by Vespasian and his sons. Type RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1253 belongs to an extensive program of brass coinage struck during the joint censorship and consulships of Vespasian and Titus in the late 70s AD. By minting dupondii bearing the radiate portrait of Titus, imperial authorities emphasized his elevated rank as consort in the imperial power (consors imperii) and guaranteed heir, while circulating a familiar, highly trusted denomination across the provincial frontiers.

Production and the Lugdunum Mint

This dupondius was struck at the imperial branch mint of Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France), which had served since the Augustan era as the primary western centre for mass production of imperial bronze and aes coinage. Although production of precious-metal denominations shifted largely to Rome during the Flavian epoch, the Lugdunum mint retained a pivotal responsibility for striking base-metal currency to supply the legions along the Rhine and British frontiers, as well as civilian populations in Gaul. Flavian production at Lugdunum is characterized by distinctive stylistic and technical markers recognized across modern scholarship. Most prominent among these is the placement of a small globe or sphere at the point of the neck truncation on obverse portraits, an engraver's convention uniquely associated with the Gallic mint during this era. Die cutting at Lugdunum displays a robust, plastically modeled aesthetic, featuring slightly heavier facial features and distinct lettering compared to the contemporaneous work of the mint of Rome. Flavian dupondii at Lugdunum were struck on cast flans prepared from an orichalcum alloy. In practice, western brass production exhibited considerable metallurgical variability: while early Augustan orichalcum could contain over twenty percent zinc, Flavian issues frequently incorporated recycled metal and varied proportioning of zinc, lead, and tin. Despite slight flan irregularities, the workshop operated with high organizational discipline, maintaining tight consular and tribunician dating controls across vast outputs.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of the coin features a right-facing portrait of Titus, rendered as a mature imperial prince. The head is adorned with a radiate crown, whose prominent points project outward around the hair. Below the truncation of the neck sits the deliberate, small globe characteristic of the Lugdunum engravers. Titus is depicted with realistic Flavian traits: a broad skull, fleshy cheeks, a slightly heavy jawline, and neatly arranged hair curls beneath the crown band. This realistic portraiture represents an intentional departure from the classicizing idealism of the Julio-Claudian era, embracing instead the veristic Roman tradition that Vespasian chose to communicate traditional military virtue, sobriety, and practical leadership. The radiate crown serves a dual purpose. Iconographically, it invokes celestial radiance and the solar attributes of Sol, symbolizing vitality, sovereign favor, and royal dignity. Mechanically and economically, the crown functioned as an unmistakable signifier for users across the empire, identifying the coin instantly as a double-as even when the coin was worn or patinated. The strike shows high relief on the brow and cheeks, framed tightly by the surrounding imperial inscription, which follows the circular perimeter of the beaded border.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the dupondius is dedicated to Felicitas, the Roman personification of good fortune, fruitful success, and civil well-being. She is depicted standing, turned toward the left, draped in a traditional long stola that falls in rhythmic, stylized folds to her feet. In her right hand, she elevates a caduceus, the ancient herald's staff entwined with serpents, representing peaceful commerce, diplomacy, and harmonious civic life. In her left arm, she cradles a cornucopiae overflowing with fruits of the earth, symbolizing abundance, fertility, and material wealth. Divided evenly across the central field on either side of Felicitas are the letters S and C, abbreviating Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). This formula, standard on regular imperial base-metal coinage, preserved the constitutional fiction that while the princeps controlled the army, treasury, and minting privileges, the Senate authorized the production and legal tender of base-metal coinages. The visual pairing of the caduceus and the cornucopiae was a cornerstone of Flavian ideological messaging. Following the brutal disruptions of the civil wars of AD 68-69 (the Year of the Four Emperors), the restoration of domestic peace and agricultural prosperity under Vespasian was celebrated as a tangible public blessing. Presenting Felicitas on the coinage of Titus reaffirmed that the stability established by the father would continue uninterrupted under the son.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse legend reads: T CAES IMP AVG F TR P COS VI CENSOR. This dense sequence of abbreviations encapsulates the official constitutional titles awarded to Titus by AD 77-78. 'T CAES' names Titus as Caesar; 'IMP' denotes his status as an acclaimed imperator within the imperial collegiate system; 'AVG F' (Augusti Filius) explicitly proclaims him the son of Augustus (Vespasian); 'TR P' references his share in the sacrosanct tribunician power; 'COS VI' specifies that he had entered his sixth consulship; and 'CENSOR' records his exercise of the censorship, held alongside his father from AD 73 onward. Epigraphically, the letters are rendered in clean, tall Roman capitals, evenly spaced around the beaded rim. The reverse legend reads: FELICITAS PVBLICA, accompanied in the field by S C. The dedication to 'Public Felicity' designates the state of blessed happiness and abundance enjoyed collectively by the Roman populace under the protection of the Flavian rulers. Rather than celebrating an individual military victory, the text frames imperial rule as a guarantor of everyday peace and prosperity. The layout of the reverse inscription encircles Felicitas starting from the lower left, with the large capital letters S and C placed in the left and right fields respectively to avoid crowding the central allegorical figure.

Typology and Chronological Placement

In the standard reference corpus The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1 (second edition, 2007) by Ian Carradice and T.V. Buttrey, this issue is catalogued under number 1253, superseding the older classification of RIC II (first edition) 777. The precise chronological window of this issue is securely established by the titulature recorded on the obverse die. Titus entered his sixth consulship on January 1, AD 77, holding the title COS VI through AD 78 until entering his seventh consulship (COS VII) on January 1, AD 79. The inclusion of 'COS VI' in conjunction with 'CENSOR' precisely fixes the striking of RIC 1253 to the years AD 77 and AD 78. This period represents the mature operational phase of the Lugdunum mint before its significant scaling down toward the close of Vespasian's principate. RIC 1253 forms part of a coordinated series of copper-alloy issues struck at Lugdunum during this biennium. Parallel issues were produced for Vespasian himself (as Augustus) and for Titus's younger brother Domitian (as Caesar), utilizing complementary reverse allegories such as Pax, Aequitas, and Victoria. Within this typological system, RIC 1253 specifically allocates the Felicitas Publica type to the primary heir, reflecting an intentional programmatic distribution of themes among the Flavian dynasts.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

Coins of RIC 1253 were produced in substantial numbers at Lugdunum to feed the currency pools of northwestern Europe. Findspots and site assemblages indicate that the primary circulation sphere for Lugdunum aes during the late 70s AD comprised the Gallic provinces (Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Belgica, and Gallia Narbonensis), the military installations along the Rhine limes in Germania Superior and Germania Inferior, and the expanding province of Britannia under the governorship of Gnaeus Julius Agricola. Because base-metal coinage possessed low intrinsic value compared to its nominal tariff, dupondii rarely travelled far from their regional spheres of distribution except through official military supply lines or major trade arteries along the Rhone, Rhine, and English Channel. In military camps, base-metal coinage was vital for paying the auxiliary units and for soldier expenditures on daily rations, tools, and local services. Archaeological evidence from stratified river deposits, camp vici, and civic settlements demonstrates that Flavian dupondii enjoyed exceptionally long circulation lives. Many specimens remained in active circulation for decades, often circulating alongside Trajanic, Hadrianic, and even Antonine issues well into the late second century AD, as evidenced by significant surface wear and occasional countermarking recorded in regional site finds.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1: Vespasian to Domitian (AD 69-96). p. 159, no. 1253
2. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, III: Du soulèvement de 68 après J.-C. à Nerva. pp. 142-148
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 211-215
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 1253. ric.2_1(2).ves.1253