Victory on prow is a very common Flavian reverse type struck throughout Vespasian and Titus's reigns. Some variants are scarcer than others. Recently, I was able to land a rare Lugdunese example. Titus as Caesar [Vespasian] Æ As, 9.30g Lyon mint, 77-78 AD Obv: T CAES IMP AVG F TR P COS VI CENSOR; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.; globe at point of bust Rev: VICTORIA NAVALIS; S C in field; Victory stg. r. on prow, with wreath and palm RIC 1274 (C). BMC 870. BNC 883. Acquired from CGB.fr, April 2021. This Victory type would be repeatedly struck throughout Vespasian's reign for both father and son, perhaps indicating how important it was to their military gravitas. The reverse legend variant of 'VICTORIA NAVALIS' has been traditionally attributed to the naval victory Vespasian and Titus won on Lake Gennesaret (the Sea of Galilee) during the Jewish War. This Titus Caesar As was struck in Lyon (Lugdunum) and is scarcer than the Rome mint varieties. IMHO, RIC's frequency rating of 'Common' underplays the rarity. Show your rare variants of common types!
A nice find David. That portrait is quite special. The right-facing version of this coin is very common. This left-facing variety is very rare.
Great coin David, I have a similar Titus type. Titus as Caesar, Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ As (26mm, 11.08g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 73. Laureate head right / VICTORIA NAVALIS, S C across field, Victory standing right on prow, holding palm frond and wreath. RIC II 644. VF Navalis.....commemorating victory over the Jews on the sea of Galilee.
Nice addition @David Atherton. I like the more expressive Lugdunese style. I wonder what the propaganda value of a relatively small victory in Judaea was. Is a general meaning not more plausible?
Beautifull patina, David Like the patina on Ancient Aussie coin too. Heres a rare lefty from Augustus :
Great coin, @David Atherton! It's always a thrill to find a rare variety, particularly if its price reflects how underappreciated it is. This one has the rare cuirassed bust type; the usual type is a laureate head. Commodus, AD 177-192. Roman AR denarius, 3.42 g, 18 mm, 12 h. Rome, AD 180. Obv: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: LIB AVG TR P V IMP IIII COS II P P, Liberalitas standing left, holding tessera and cornucopiae. Refs: RIC 10a; Cohen 301; BMC 4. The only other specimen I have been able to find online is the example in the British Museum, which was struck with a different obverse die.
Make no mistake, the Jewish War was no small thing to the Flavian regime! It was the dynasty's calling card which provided the military bona fides for their rule. A victory in the recent Civil War against fellow Romans could not be celebrated, but a victory over a 'foreign' foe (never mind the slight of hand that turned Judaea into a foreign nemesis) could be exploited to the hilt. It was the gift that kept on giving for the Flavians. One need only to look at the extensive Judaea Capta coinage for evidence of it. Now, is it possible that the VICTORIA NAVALIS types were more generic in nature? Of course that could be so (I take a minimalist approach when interpreting these types), but I really find it difficult to explain the broad scale of the issue without some sort of raison d'etre. As bizarre as it seems, the little 'battle' on the Sea of Galilee seems quite plausible as the source of the type.
Indeed, the broad scale of the issue is reason to doubt the idea of a more general meaning. But if we accept it as the victory at the Galilean Sea, it remains interesting what made this particular battle so important to the authorities. I have thought that this reverse might refer to the fact that the Flavians had restored safety at sea. But Victory is very illogical as a personification for stability. Finally, I want to make it clear that I certainly do not underestimate the importance of the Jewish war, but that I only had some questions about this particular battle.
