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Denarius - Domitian PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 79 |
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| Value | 1 Denarius |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed, laureate bust of Domitian facing right, rendered in the Flavian portrait style with distinctive curly hair bound by a laurel wreath. The portrait is youthful and idealized, with the neck truncation visible at the base. The circumferential legend in Latin reads around the portrait, identifying Domitian as Caesar and son of Augustus, holding his sixth consulship. The die engraving displays competent workmanship typical of the Rome mint under Vespasian. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Struck in 79 AD, the year Vespasian died and Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, this denarius was issued while Domitian still held the title *Princeps Iuventutis* — "First of Youth" — a honorific marking him as heir-designate rather than co-emperor. Vespasian consistently kept Domitian in a subordinate ceremonial role, granting him no meaningful military commands and little real authority, a deliberate contrast to the status afforded Titus. The tension between the brothers was well documented in ancient sources.
Domitian would not become emperor until Titus died in 81 AD, allegedly under suspicious circumstances.