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Aureus - Vitellius IVPPITER VICTOR, Jupiter and Victory
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 69 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.23 g |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed laureate bust of Vitellius facing right, depicted with a fleshy, naturalistic portrait characteristic of Flavian-era imperial coinage. The emperor's hair is rendered in short, layered strands with a slight queue at the nape, and the shoulders are draped. A beaded inner border frames the design. The encircling legend reads A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P in bold Latin capitals, distributed evenly around the field. |
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| Reverse description | Jupiter seated left upon a throne, his muscular torso nude, legs partially draped, his right hand raised and extended holding a small figure of Victory, and his left hand resting on a long sceptre. The god's bearded head is turned slightly to the right. The reverse legend IVPPITER VICTOR is distributed in the field to the left and right of the central figure, within a beaded border. The composition conveys divine authority and military victory, a programmatic statement of Vitellius's legitimacy. |
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Vitellius held power for barely eight months in 69 AD — the Year of the Four Emperors — and his gold coinage was struck predominantly at Rome following his army's victory over Otho at Bedriacum in April. The mint output was substantial for a reign of this length, funded in part by the stripping of temple treasures, a fiscal practice that did little to endear him to Rome's senatorial class.
RIC I 74 is among the better-documented aurei of his reign. Vitellius was killed in December 69 when Vespasian's forces entered Rome, and surviving coinage was almost certainly demonetized or melted shortly after.