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Diobol - Domitian LΗ
| Issuer | Alexandria |
|---|---|
| Year | 88-89 |
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| Diameter | 24.2 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Emperor Domitian facing right, rendered in the provincial Egyptian style. The imperial effigy is encircled by a Greek legend reading ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ, identifying him as Autocrator Caesar Domitianus Sebastos Germanicus. The portrait exhibits the characteristic bold relief typical of Alexandrian bronze coinage of the Flavian period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ |
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| Additional information |
Domitian's Alexandrian bronzes from year LH (Year 38 of his reign reckoning by Egyptian regnal count, corresponding to 88–89 AD) were struck under the Roman prefectural administration of Egypt, which maintained the Ptolemaic-era practice of a closed currency system — Roman coins could not legally circulate in Egypt, forcing the mint at Alexandria to produce its own distinct coinage for the province. This monetary isolation made Alexandria one of the most productive and administratively distinct mints in the empire.
Domitian was assassinated in 96 AD, after which the Senate declared damnatio memoriae. Coins bearing his name were sometimes defaced in official contexts, though provincial Egyptian bronzes appear to have escaped systematic destruction.