Thread by @DocCrom

Ancient Coin of the Day: A glorious aureus of Vespasian (my fave!) from AD 74, celebrating the good governance and prosperity that his reign had brought to the Roman world. #ACOTD #Vespasian

Image: RIC 2.1 Vespasian 682

I appreciate the elegant simplicity of this design, with its simple Legends IMP CAESAR VESP AVG and FORTVNA AVGVST, and its well modelled Fortuna, holding both cornucopia and rudder, respectively symbolising plenty and gubernatorial statesmanship.

Image: Reverse of Vespasian 682

The coins of Vespasian tend to advertise key empire-wise concepts such as peace, prosperity, and stability - all a far cry from the chaos of AD 69 out of which Vespasian emerged as emperor.

The presentation of Vespasian here differs greatly from that seen on coins of AD 69, such as this denarius struck at an uncertain mint in Moesia, with the Legend EXSERCI[TVS] MOESIC[VS], showing Mars standing in front of a trophy.

Image: RIC 2.1 Vespasian 1342

It seems likely this was minted in the province where legions had declared for Vespasian in mid-AD 69, the coin serving as a symbol of their loyalty. Tacitus (Histories 2.85) tells us that the Moesian legions wrote to their Pannonian counterparts urging them to join the cause.

Following his arrival in Rome, Vespasian proved himself to be a master of minting, understanding that coinage had the capacity to convey key political messages, centralising the production of precious metal coinage on a handful of mints: Rome, Lyon, and Ephesus.

For more on Vespasian's coinage, see:

Stevenson, T.R. “PERSONIFICATIONS ON THE COINAGE OF VESPASIAN (AD 69-79).” Acta Classica, vol. 53, 2010, pp. 181–205.

jstor.org/stable/24592509

#ACOTD #Vespasian