I've always wanted one of these Divus Vespasian elephant quadriga sestertii, but they are prohibitively expensive. Luckily, I recently came across one that's more within my price range, perhaps due to the slightly porous surfaces. Even so, the surviving details are quite good. Divus Vespasian Æ Sestertius, 25.01g Rome mint, 80-81 AD (Titus) Obv: DIVO AVG VESPAS above; S P Q R in exergue; Deified Vespasian std. r. holding sceptre and Victory in car drawn by four elephants with riders Rev: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; S C, large, in centre RIC 259 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. Acquired from Wallin Mynt, November 2019. The coinage struck by Titus commemorating Divus Vespasian is closely modelled on those struck for Divus Augustus by Tiberius. The obverse of this coin shows a cult image of the defied Vespasian in a quadriga drawn by four elephants, mounted by their riders (mahouts?). Presumably, this spectacular display was part of Vespasian's funerary pompa (would such a quadriga drawn by elephants be realistically feasible?). The carnavalesque atmosphere of a Roman imperial funeral procession is readily apparent by this coin's obverse design. The reverse legend date with Titus as COS VIII places the coin between 80-81, at least a full six months after Vespasian's death on 24 June 79 (assuming the coins were produced contemporaneously with Vespasian's deification). Epigraphic evidence shows Vespasian had been deified sometime before 29 May 80. Why they were struck so late remains a mystery. Perhaps the delay for deification was an attempt on Titus' part to avoid his father becoming a court joke as Claudius had become, or so B. Levick has asserted. She believes the famous 'Woe's me ...' quip attributed to Vespasian is likely a later cruel jest parodying Claudius' last utterance 'Woe's me, I think I've messed myself'. Regardless, the political expediency of having a deified father likely overruled any such qualms. All of the sestertii of the Divus Vespasian series are rare - this particular specimen showcases a rare variant obverse legend (VESPAS instead of the slightly commoner VESP) and the reverse legend starting from the lower left. Feel free to post your DIVI coins!
This is the most impressive composition I've seen on a Roman Divus commemorative coin ! The elephants give a sense of power to the scene & their slow lumbering gait is perfect for a funeral march. The huge SC on the reverse is a statement of importance to this issue.
Beautiful coin! I agree that the elephants are particularly well engraved. This one is no longer in my collection (it has a better home now) but it was fun to own this one for a couple weeks, which I assume was the inspiration for this coin:
WOW, Elephants are always great. Super coin... I don't pay as much to the coin's condition as I do to the elements and the history being projected. Very nice! AND, an SPQR too. Wow, DIVI, DIVO, DIVA, DIVVS, gosh I am not a Latin speaker, but you have to search under several parameters! I see dead people... (yeah, THAT is in red...) DIVI RI Tiberius AE As 28mm TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VIII - SC IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG REST BMCRE II 284 RImp Octavian 32-31 BCE AR Den Rome mint Bare CAESAR DIVI F Mercury lyre RIC 257 Sear 1550 DIVO RI Constantius I Chlorus 293-306 CE DIVO AE Quinarius Thesalonika 317-318 Seated RIC VII 25 R5 RI Romulus 310-311 CE AE25 DIVO Rome Domed Shrine doors ajar with sm Eagle R E Q DIVA RI Julia Flavia Titi Diva 90-91 CE d-Titus concubine-uncleDomitian AE Sestert 33mm 20.4g - Carpentum mules SPQR - SC RI Paulina w Maximinus I D before CE 235 DIVA AE sestertius 30.77mm 19.66g 2nd emiss of Maximinus I CE 236 Peacock RIC IV 3 R RI Mariniana AR Ant 253-254 CE DIVA Crescent - On Peacock flying 21.2mm 3.1g RIC VII 6 Rome RI Faustina Sr 138-140 CE after 146 CE DIVA AR Denarius m Antoninus Pius 17.4mm 3.2g Ceres torch fold RIC 362 RSC 104 DIVVS RI Augustus DIVUS under Tiberius 22-23 CE Radiate Alter Left
I’m not going to post any images just now, @David Atherton . I’m just stopping by to check out what you meant by “Going Out in Style.” You definitely got my attention with that title. I was afraid for what it might imply. Needless to say, I’m relieved that you’re not leaving us. Great coin!
Thank you, sir! I've lurked and kept up on reading the site as best as I could! For what it's worth, I've never left in spirit!
St. James Infirmary Blues When I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
