Denarius - Vespasian VICTORIA AVGVSTI; Victory

RIC II.1 1557 belongs to the early Flavian consolidation period, when Vespasian was actively using coin iconography to legitimize a dynasty founded by military coup rather than hereditary succession. The Jewish War had formally concluded with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and Victory types issued across 72–73 reflect deliberate propaganda — the message being that Flavian rule was divinely endorsed through battlefield success.

The revised RIC II.1, published in 2007, substantially reorganized Flavian coinage and renumbered many pieces from the original 1926 edition. Collectors working from older references should verify against the current numbering.