I have always wanted to get a coin from the year that Vesuvius erupted - I knew Titus was emperor during the relevant period but was uncertain of the timing of the various coins. About 4 or 5 months ago @David Atherton was kind enough to share his expertise with me on the timing of these and I finally managed to pick one up. Titus denarius 19mm 3.08g RIC 34 Its got some wear on it but I like it because the centering is good and the legends are all quite legible. The portrait seems to be quite Vespasian like - the later portraits look somewhat different (Titus is usually described as quite handsome which I think is a struggle for Vespasian). It's also interesting that on the reverse Venus is depicted holding a helmet and spear - not something I would normally associate with her. I believe the coin was struck some time between the death of Vespasian on June 23, 79 and September 9, 79 (the day Titus received IMP XV). This is a bit earlier than the traditional date for the eruption of Vesuvius of October 24, 79, although I believe that date has been challenged as being too early based on evidence of the types of fruit and vegetable traces found in Pompeii (they could not have been harvested until later in the year). Amazing to think that this could have been in someone's coin purse the day the eruption happened. Now I think I will try to get an IMP XV COS VII coin which will cover the last part of the year. Bring on the coins! It would be great to see how many coins people have that we can actually date to AD 79.
The capricorn matches your coin's date but the elephant is IMP XV COS VIII. I wish my elephant were a bit more clear on the TRP IX date showing that the Romans did sometimes use subtractive numerals.
That is a lovely coin, @TTerrier , and you are justifiably proud to have acquired it for your collection. You mention ... That is Venus Victrix, and she appears on this denarius of AD 79-81 of Julia Titi: You can read all about the reverse of your coin and the statue on which it is based in this thread here!
Really nice @TTerrier I love that coin and the history that surrounds it. This one can be dated between June 24th and July 1st of 79 CE. June 24th was the death of Vespasian and July 1st was when Titus became TR P VIIII. Titus AR Denarius Judea Capta Issue (18 mm 3.12 g,) Obv: IMP T CEASAR VESPASIANUS AUG Laureate head right Rev: TR POT VIII Captive knelling right at foot of trophy RIC 1, RSC 334a, Sear RCV (2000) 2505. Purchased from MA Shops INGEMAR WALLIN UTVECKLING AB April 20, 2017
Fantastic coin TTerrier, I'm a sucker for two dates in the first century 69 AD and 79 AD. I've got a few 69 AD but only one 79 AD, and it's a Titus. Titus, 79 AD, denarius Rome 3.41gm, radiate figure on rostral column, S2509, RIC 10, RSC 272,
Thanks for the information on this coin everyone. It's absolutely incredible that we can pin down the date of manufacture of a 2,000 year old coin to a 1 week period in 79 AD. After reading the thread on Venus Victrix l have another question - is there some significance to the column she is resting her elbow on?
Actually just as I was posting above I realized I do have another 79 AD, Vespasian just before he died. Vespasian Denarius 79 AD, 2.6gm, Sear 2308.
Remember, the figure on the coin represents a real statue in the temple of Venus Victrix. The column was needed to support the statue to keep it from collapsing under its own weight and to keep it from tipping over.
Thank you for posting you Venus denarius, TTerrier, and for the discussion on the dating. I confess I have never paid much attention to the dating on roman denarii, but your insight aroused my interest. The Venus denarius in my collection bears the same dating as yours - you are right, it is exciting to think where our coins may have been the day Vesuvius erupted. These are my current examples of denarii of Titus.
I love Titus' denarii ... and that is a very respectable example. It's from his second dated issue, struck sometime after 1 July when he became TR P VIIII. It probably was coined a little later in the month because there is a preceding issue which lacks the title 'P P' but has the same TR P date and was likely struck the first week or so of July. If you're shooting for a coin matching the traditional Vesuvian date (24 August), TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII P P is the legend combo you want. TR P VIIII IMP XV COS VII P P would fit the October time frame.
