Caesar Domitianus Augustus was born on the 24th of October, 51 AD. He belonged to a dynasty known as the Flavian Dynasty which consisted only of three members from his family itself. Domitian was raised by his father, Vespasian under the shadow of his brother Titus. He was not given proper knowledge about administration, military skills, decision-making power, but only ceremonial powers. Domitian was born to Vespasian, the Emperor, and Domitilla the elder. His father was the first member of the Flavian dynasty. His father started from being an unknown person and reached the highest rank of Ancient Rome. He lived with his father and brother, as his mother and sister had passed away when he was very young. But he never got enough chance to stay with father and brother, since they were always away for battles and military campaigns. Vespasian became the Emperor in 69 AD and Domitian was appointed as praetor having consular power. So, whenever his father and brother were out for campaigns, he would act as the representative of the Flavian Dynasty. He had an easy life, a privileged one, as both his father and brother were of a high level. He got an education in the Senatorial class of Ancient Rome and studied rhetoric and literature. He also learned and had an interest in poetry and art. Despite his wisdom, he was quite upset with his appearance, mainly for the reason of him being bald at a very early age. He started wearing wigs for the rest of his life. He also wrote a book on hair care and made clear about his insecurities regarding baldness. He was married to Domitia Longina. Domitia was married to the Roman Senate but was forced to leave him and marry Domitian. Domitian was attracted by Domitia’s beauty and also for her being the granddaughter of Junia Lepida who was the descendent of Emperor Augustus. He had a son with Domitia, but he died at the age of 3 . Read more: https://historyten.com/roman/domitian-facts/#ixzz7FWYSzVNY about my coin Domitian Minerva / vespasian/ denarius no Legends arund the minerva/ thats why i brought it CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS COS IIII, laureate head right COS-IIII across fields, Minerva standing right on prow, brandishing spear, holding shield on left arm, owl at foot right. listed as very rare type/ more information would be welocme (Note: no small globe beneath the neck truncation!. The ones with that mark are Ephesos, RIC 1493) 3.30g/ roma minted i think Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of defensive war only. From the second century BC onward, the Romans equated her with the Greek goddess Athena. Minerva is one of the three Roman deities in the Capitoline Triad, along with Jupiter and Juno.
@ro1974....Nice coin!...An interesting Emperor whose portrait changed throughout his reign....Here's a non-Minerva reverse... Domitian. 81-96 AR Denarius (3.17 gm, 18mm). Rome mint. Struck 81 AD. Obv.: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M, laureate head right. Rev.: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P, tripod surmounted by a dolphin right. RICII# 74. These early type portraits are my favourite and coupled with an interesting reverse, the tripod and dolphin, being symbols of Apollo.
interesting i see Caesar one my coin and later is it CAES Domitian thanks all for the nice coins here
ro1974's coin in Rome-mint style: RIC 920, rated "Rare", citing specimens in BM, Oxford, Vienna, and a private collection. This type for Domitian under Vespasisn in both styles, Rome and Asia Minor, is a rather recent discovery, which was unlisted in Cohen or in the original editions of RIC II and BMC II.
The baldness of Domitian is something that has always intrigued me. Although he was apparently upset about it, some coins do clearly depict his receding hairline. His father and brother had no issue with their own baldness and make it clear on their coins. Caligula was an emperor who reportedly struggled with baldness and made a keen effort to avoid the impression of baldness on his coins. Caesar was also reportedly embarrassed about it, but on the contrary it's clear on his coins. Later emperors are almost always depicted with juvenile hairlines (except Carus and some issues of Probus) which seems unrealistic to me due to the age of most emperors and the statistical likelihood of balding. Perhaps it was simply convention to always depict emperors with juvenile hairlines? If anyone has any comments I'd love to hear some insight!
