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<p>[QUOTE="Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, post: 4886489, member: 99554"]<b>Vitellius</b> is born <span style="color: #ff0000"><b>September 24th</b></span> 15 AD. He was a virtuous man and an exceptionally endearing being to all who surrounded him. Here are some traits of his personality which should have made him the first on the list of "good Emperors".</p><p><br /></p><ul> <li><b>A wonderful childhood</b>: He spent his boyhood and early youth at Capreae among the prostitutes of Tiberius, being branded for all time with the nickname <i>Spintria</i>..</li> <li><b>he was loved for his beautiful qualities</b> :Stained by every sort of baseness as he advanced in years, he held a prominent place at court, winning the intimacy of Gaius by his devotion to driving and of Claudius by his passion for dice. But he was still dearer to Nero because they had these same qualities.</li> <li><b>an incredible family spirit</b>: He had for wife Petronia and by her a son Petronianus, who was blind in one eye. Since this son was named as his mother's heir on condition of being freed from his father's authority, he manumitted him, but shortly afterwards killed him to inherit the great fortune of his mother and maternal grandfather.</li> <li><b>recognized as a very sensitive man</b>: When he came to the plains where the battle was fought and some shuddered with horror at the mouldering corpses, he had the audacity to encourage them by the abominable saying, that "<i>the odour of a dead enemy was sweet and that of a fellow-citizen sweeter still</i>".</li> <li><b>an example of self-control</b>: He divided his feasts into three, sometimes into four a day, breakfast, luncheon, dinner, and a drinking bout; and he was readily able to do justice to all of them through his habit of taking emetics. He could never refrain, even when he sacrificing or making a journey, from snatching bits of meat and cakes amid the altars, almost from the very fire, and devouring them on the spot; and in the cookshops along the road, viands smoking hot or even those left over from the day before and partly consumed.</li> <li><b>Full of compassion</b>: when his mother died, he was suspected of having forbidden her being given food when she was ill, because a woman of the Chatti, in whom he believed as he would in an oracle, prophesied that he would rule securely and for a long time, but only if he should survive his parent...</li> <li><b>A peaceful and quiet death</b>: he was eventually dragged out of a hiding-place and struck down by Vespasian's supporters. "Yet I was once your emperor," were his last words. <b>Vitellius</b> was beheaded and his head paraded around Rome, and his body thrown into the Tiber. He was 54 years old.</li> </ul><p>[ATTACH=full]1179113[/ATTACH] </p><p>Vitellius marble bust (Neverland Museum)</p><p><br /></p><p>You are probably telling yourself that this man cannot be perfect, that he must surely have flaws; he certainly did, but why be negative and concentrate on his weak points? We still have the right to dream, to fantasize about what could have become of the Roman Empire if this exceptional man had reigned for 20 years rather than 8 short months ... About his coinage, <b>Vitellius</b> followed the tradition of Augustus and began to issue coinage that portrayed his two children. He also minted both gold and silver coinage showing the image of his father in a propaganda attempt to show his qualifications to be emperor. Even if they are not cheap, <b>Vitellius</b>' coins are not hard to find. Many of his coins were struck on small flans; so it's not easy to buy specimens with full legend. About 40 different reverse types have been minted from only 3 mints (Rome, Tarraco? and Lugdunum). Here is an interesting detail concerning the chronology of his Rome's coinage according to RIC Vol. 1 :</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1179114[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>But now enough talking; <b>please show us, on the day of his birth, your own examples of Vitellius' coins!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Vitellius</b> denarius</p><p>Rome 17.5mm 2.74g</p><p>A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP / PONT MAXIM</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1179115[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, post: 4886489, member: 99554"][B]Vitellius[/B] is born [COLOR=#ff0000][B]September 24th[/B][/COLOR] 15 AD. He was a virtuous man and an exceptionally endearing being to all who surrounded him. Here are some traits of his personality which should have made him the first on the list of "good Emperors". [LIST] [*][B]A wonderful childhood[/B]: He spent his boyhood and early youth at Capreae among the prostitutes of Tiberius, being branded for all time with the nickname [I]Spintria[/I].. [*][B]he was loved for his beautiful qualities[/B] :Stained by every sort of baseness as he advanced in years, he held a prominent place at court, winning the intimacy of Gaius by his devotion to driving and of Claudius by his passion for dice. But he was still dearer to Nero because they had these same qualities. [*][B]an incredible family spirit[/B]: He had for wife Petronia and by her a son Petronianus, who was blind in one eye. Since this son was named as his mother's heir on condition of being freed from his father's authority, he manumitted him, but shortly afterwards killed him to inherit the great fortune of his mother and maternal grandfather. [*][B]recognized as a very sensitive man[/B]: When he came to the plains where the battle was fought and some shuddered with horror at the mouldering corpses, he had the audacity to encourage them by the abominable saying, that "[I]the odour of a dead enemy was sweet and that of a fellow-citizen sweeter still[/I]". [*][B]an example of self-control[/B]: He divided his feasts into three, sometimes into four a day, breakfast, luncheon, dinner, and a drinking bout; and he was readily able to do justice to all of them through his habit of taking emetics. He could never refrain, even when he sacrificing or making a journey, from snatching bits of meat and cakes amid the altars, almost from the very fire, and devouring them on the spot; and in the cookshops along the road, viands smoking hot or even those left over from the day before and partly consumed. [*][B]Full of compassion[/B]: when his mother died, he was suspected of having forbidden her being given food when she was ill, because a woman of the Chatti, in whom he believed as he would in an oracle, prophesied that he would rule securely and for a long time, but only if he should survive his parent... [*][B]A peaceful and quiet death[/B]: he was eventually dragged out of a hiding-place and struck down by Vespasian's supporters. "Yet I was once your emperor," were his last words. [B]Vitellius[/B] was beheaded and his head paraded around Rome, and his body thrown into the Tiber. He was 54 years old. [/LIST] [ATTACH=full]1179113[/ATTACH] Vitellius marble bust (Neverland Museum) You are probably telling yourself that this man cannot be perfect, that he must surely have flaws; he certainly did, but why be negative and concentrate on his weak points? We still have the right to dream, to fantasize about what could have become of the Roman Empire if this exceptional man had reigned for 20 years rather than 8 short months ... About his coinage, [B]Vitellius[/B] followed the tradition of Augustus and began to issue coinage that portrayed his two children. He also minted both gold and silver coinage showing the image of his father in a propaganda attempt to show his qualifications to be emperor. Even if they are not cheap, [B]Vitellius[/B]' coins are not hard to find. Many of his coins were struck on small flans; so it's not easy to buy specimens with full legend. About 40 different reverse types have been minted from only 3 mints (Rome, Tarraco? and Lugdunum). Here is an interesting detail concerning the chronology of his Rome's coinage according to RIC Vol. 1 : [ATTACH=full]1179114[/ATTACH] But now enough talking; [B]please show us, on the day of his birth, your own examples of Vitellius' coins! Vitellius[/B] denarius Rome 17.5mm 2.74g A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP / PONT MAXIM [ATTACH=full]1179115[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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