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Dupondius - Vespasian FELICITAS PVBLICA S C, Felicitas
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 75 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12.2 g |
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| Obverse description | Radiate head of Vespasian facing right, rendered in high relief with naturalistic portraiture characteristic of Flavian imperial coinage. The emperor is depicted with a broad, fleshy face, short cropped hair beneath the radiate crown, and a draped bust. The encircling legend reads IMP CAES VESP AVG P M T P COS VI, distributed around the full circumference of the flan within a beaded border. The portrait exhibits the robust, unidealized style favored during the Flavian dynasty. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES VESP AVG P M T P COS VI (Translation: Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Consul Sextum. Supreme commander (Imperator) Caesar Vespasian, emperor (Augustus), high priest, holder of tribunician power, consul for the sixth time.) |
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| Additional information |
Vespasian struck this issue in 75 AD, four years into a reign built explicitly on restoring Roman financial and civic stability after the catastrophic civil wars of 69 AD — the Year of the Four Emperors. The FELICITAS PVBLICA legend was a deliberate propaganda choice, connecting Flavian rule to public prosperity at a moment when the treasury had been gutted by Nero's excesses and then Vitellius's brief, ruinous tenure. Vespasian famously imposed new taxes and revived old ones without apology, reportedly quipping about the urine tax that money has no smell.