Obverse: Bust of the Emperor Crowned with a
Laurel Wreath
Reverse: A Lighted Altar Draped in Garlands
Domitian was the younger son of the emperor
Vespasian. Although his older brother Titus
occupied the throne from A.D. 79 to 81, while
Domitian was growing up, he was not given any
real political power. Because of this, Domitian
always felt a certain amount of resentment
towards his elder brother, spurring the rumors
that Domitian poisoned Titus, although these are
generally believed to be false. Like Tiberius and
Caligula before him, Domitian sought to be
absolute ruler. He scandalized the Senate and
the rest of the Roman aristocracy by having
statues of himself erected and by insisting that
people refer to him as "Lord and God.” The
Senate grew to loathe and fear Domitian,
hatching numerous plots against his life, and he,
in turn, became increasingly suspicious towards
them. In the last three or four years of
Domitian’s reign, the senators lived in fear of
their lives, reaping the fruit of their conspiracies.
In the end, it would be this backstabbing and
mistrust on both sides that would doom
Domitian. In 95, he eliminated his two
praetorian prefects. The two men who replaced
them, Petronius Secundus and Norbanus, fearing
that they too would soon be eliminated, decided
to form a successful conspiracy to assassinate
Domitian.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a memorial
an emperor’s reign passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant today as
the day it was struck.
- (C.0408)
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