Denarius - Domitian IMP XII COS XII CENS P P P, Minerva

Domitian's censorial title CENS P P P, assumed in 85 AD, reflected his appointment as perpetual censor — an unprecedented concentration of moral and administrative authority in a single office. The IMP XII and COS XII dating pins this piece to 86 AD, a year when Domitian was simultaneously managing the Dacian frontier crisis following Cornelius Fuscus's disastrous campaign and the near-destruction of Legio V Alaudae. Coinage output from this period was heavy and consistent, which is why RIC 446 survives in reasonable numbers.