Minted in the opening years of Domitian's reign, this as belongs to a period when the emperor was actively cultivating an association with Minerva — a devotion that became the defining religious program of his rule and would intensify markedly through the 80s and 90s AD. Domitian founded the Quinquatria, an annual festival in Minerva's honor held at his Alban villa, and the goddess appeared on his coinage with a frequency unmatched by any predecessor.
The S C authority mark places production under senatorial sanction, though by this point that designation was largely ceremonial.
Minted in the opening years of Domitian's reign, this as belongs to a period when the emperor was actively cultivating an association with Minerva — a devotion that became the defining religious program of his rule and would intensify markedly through the 80s and 90s AD. Domitian founded the Quinquatria, an annual festival in Minerva's honor held at his Alban villa, and the goddess appeared on his coinage with a frequency unmatched by any predecessor.
The S C authority mark places production under senatorial sanction, though by this point that designation was largely ceremonial.