Vespasian Denarius: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 356

Monetary Context and Imperial Policy

The accession of Vespasian in AD 69 brought an end to the destabilizing civil wars of the Year of the Four Emperors and placed immense financial obligations on the imperial administration. Rebuilding the devastated infrastructure of Rome, rewarding military factions, and securing economic confidence required a comprehensive reorganization of the imperial currency. Under Nero's reform of AD 64, the silver denarius had been reduced to a theoretical standard of 1/96 of a Roman pound (approximately 3.41 grams), with a fineness lowered to approximately 80 to 82 percent silver. The Flavian administration broadly maintained these metrics during the early 70s AD, striking massive volumes of denarii to replace debased emergency wartime currencies and satisfy regular state disbursements. RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 356 was struck against this background of administrative consolidation between AD 72 and 73, providing stable silver specie for civic taxation, legions, and commerce.

Mint Location and Technical Production

This specific catalogue entry was produced at the central mint in Rome, which operated under strict imperial control and served as the primary source of precious-metal coinage for the western empire. Flavian die-engravers in Rome worked within an organized workshop (officina) system that maintained consistent stylistic conventions and metallurgical control. Silver flans were cast in individual molds or scooped from molten alloy before being adjusted by hand to adhere to the target weight standard, producing denarii that typically fluctuate between 3.0 and 3.5 grams in surviving specimens, with an average around 3.25 grams. Engraving at Rome during AD 72 and 73 is characterized by realistic portraiture, well-defined letterforms, and carefully articulated relief on both dies. Die axis alignment for this issue predominantly follows the standard Roman imperial medal-alignment or near-vertical rotation (frequently six o'clock or twelve o'clock), reflective of mechanized striking between handheld punches and stationary anvils.

Obverse Iconography and Style

The obverse of RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 356 presents a right-facing portrait of the emperor wearing a laurel wreath tied at the nape of the neck with two falling ribbons. Flavian portraiture at Rome broke sharply from the idealized, youthful classicism of Julio-Claudian convention, replacing it with a frank, veristic style that emphasized the mature features, lined forehead, prominent jowls, and weathered visage of a seasoned general. Vespasian's likeness on this issue conveys gravitas and civic discipline, qualities intentionally cultivated to distance the regime from the perceived excesses of Nero. The portrait occupies the central field within a neat border of dots, surrounded by the imperial titular formula.

Reverse Type and Religious Symbolism

The reverse type depicts four central implements of ancient Roman state religion: the simpulum (a ritual ladle used for libations), the sprinkler or aspergillum (used for purifications), the jug (guttus or praefericulum, used to pour sacrificial wine), and the lituus (the curved ritual wand of the augurs). These objects refer directly to the major priestly colleges of Rome, particularly the Pontifices and the Augures, and had appeared on Roman coinage since the late Republic to denote sacerdotal authority. By reviving these classic symbols, Vespasian visually reaffirmed his personal piety (pietas) and claimed divine favor for the restored state. The juxtaposition of these implements without accompanying human figures creates a balanced, dignified composition that echoed similar triumviral and Augustan precedent, presenting the Flavian princeps as the restorer of traditional religious order.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse legend reads IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII, beginning from the lower left and running clockwise around the portrait. This string abbreviates the core constitutional and honorary titles of the ruler: Imperator, Caesar, Vespasianus, Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, and Consul for the fourth time. The reverse legend is AVGVR TRI POT, positioned horizontally or along the upper perimeter depending on die layout, abbreviating Augur and Tribunicia Potestas. Together, these inscriptions articulate the full ideological framework of imperial governance, confirming the holder's supreme military command, high priesthood, augural membership, and civil power over the populace. The inclusion of COS IIII provides the precise chronological anchor for the issue, demonstrating that striking took place after Vespasian entered his fourth consulship on 1 January AD 72 and before he assumed his fifth consulship on 1 January AD 74.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification of Roman imperial coinage, this type is catalogued as RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 356, replacing earlier superseded numberings such as RIC I (first edition) 43. Within the sequence of the Rome mint, it belongs to the distinct fourth-consulship phase spanning AD 72 to 73. Similar reverse motifs displaying sacrificial implements had been minted during the civil conflicts of AD 68 to 69 and appeared earlier in Vespasian's reign under varying obverse formulas and consulships (such as COS III). However, RIC 356 is uniquely defined by the exact combination of the COS IIII obverse legend, the right-facing laureate bust, and the AVGVR TRI POT reverse legend surrounding the four sacrificial instruments. Minor stylistic variants in die engraving exist, such as variations in the placement and spacing of individual implements or differences in legend breaks, but these represent workshop variation rather than distinct catalogued types.

Circulation, Hoards, and Deposition

Denarii of RIC 356 were struck in substantial numbers and entered general monetary circulation throughout Italy and the Roman provinces. Flavian denarii formed the backbone of the silver pool across Europe and the Mediterranean basin for decades. Because Trajan later recalled and reminted worn pre-Neronian silver around AD 107, Flavian coins produced at the post-AD 64 standard constituted an increasingly prominent percentage of circulating currency during the High Empire. Archaeological hoard evidence from Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces regularly documents the presence of this priestly-type denarius in deposits accumulated throughout the late first and second centuries AD, often displaying significant wear that demonstrates decades of active commercial exchange before burial.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 1: From AD 69 to AD 96 (Vespasian to Domitian). pp. 71-73, no. 356
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume II: Vespasian to Domitian. pp. 11-13
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Vespasian 356. ric.2_1(2).ves.356