Denarius - Vitellius XV VIR SACR FAC

Vitellius reigned for less than eight months in 69 AD, the Year of the Four Emperors, before being dragged through Rome and killed by Vespasian's troops in December. His coinage was struck at Rome and Lugdunum across a chaotic period when the empire had already burned through Galba and Otho in rapid succession. The XV VIR SACR FAC reverse type references the quindecimviri sacris faciundis, the priestly college responsible for consulting the Sibylline Books — a deliberate bid for religious legitimacy from a man whose claim to power rested entirely on Rhine legionary muscle.