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Denarius - Titus NEP RED, Neptune

Issuer Roman Imperial Mint
Year 72-73
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Weight 3.2 g
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Obverse description Laureate and draped bust of Titus facing right, rendered in high relief with finely engraved hair beneath the laurel wreath and a short beard visible on the chin and jaw. The portrait displays the characteristic Flavian style, with a strong, naturalistic likeness. The circular legend runs along the outer rim of the field, interrupted at the base by the truncation of the bust.
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Reverse description Neptune standing left in a commanding pose, his right foot resting upon a globe symbolising dominion over the seas, holding an acrostolium (prow ornament) in his right hand and a sceptre in his left. The figure is rendered with classical dignity, the deity's drapery falling loosely from his left arm. The reverse legend NEP RED appears in the field, referencing Neptune as the divine protector who safely conducted the emperor across the sea.
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Additional information

This denarius was struck for Titus as Caesar under Vespasian, during the immediate aftermath of the Jewish War — the same campaign that ended with the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD and the sack of Jerusalem. The Neptune reverse type is almost certainly connected to the sea crossing that transported Vespasian's forces and, later, the triumphal spoils westward. RIC II.1 1561 is among the better-documented Caesarean issues of the period, attributable to an eastern mint, most probably Ephesus, which was producing heavily during these years to fund Flavian consolidation.

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