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Dupondius - Domitian VIRTVTI AVGVSTI S C, Virtus
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 86 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Radiate bust of Emperor Domitian facing right, draped with aegis, rendered in bold high relief characteristic of Flavian imperial portraiture. The emperor's effigy displays a prominent radiate crown, distinguishing the dupondius denomination from the as. The encircling Latin legend runs from lower left around the periphery of the flan, naming Domitian's full imperial titulature including his twelfth consulship and office of perpetual censor. The portrait exhibits the strong, fleshy facial features associated with Flavian-era die engraving. |
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| Reverse description | Virtus, the personification of military courage and virtue, stands facing right in a martial pose, her right foot resting upon a helmet set on the ground. She holds a grounded spear in her right hand and a parazonium (short military sword) in her left, symbols of Roman martial prowess. The figure is rendered in a confident, upright stance in the Flavian classicizing style. The legend VIRTVTI AVGVSTI encircles the field, and the large senatorial authority mark S C (Senatus Consultum) appears prominently in the lower field, affirming the senate's role in authorizing bronze coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Domitian's VIRTVTI AVGVSTI coinage of 86 AD belongs to a period when the emperor was actively reshaping his public image after the inconclusive Chattan campaigns of 83 — wars he celebrated with a triumph that his critics, including Tacitus, dismissed as theater. The invocation of Virtus was pointed: martial virtue was precisely what his enemies claimed he lacked.
RIC II.1 484 is among the issues struck under the reorganized coinage system Domitian implemented in 82, when he raised the silver purity of the denarius to near-Augustan levels — a reform later reversed by Trajan under fiscal pressure.