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Dupondius - Vespasian ROMA S C, Roma
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 71 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Radiate bust of Vespasian facing right, draped at the shoulder, with a globe at the point of the neck truncation. The portrait is rendered in bold high relief, conveying the emperor's distinctive physiognomy with characteristic realism. The radiate crown, composed of seven points, identifies the denomination as a dupondius. The encircling obverse legend is incuse in large capital letters. A small globe at the neck truncation alludes to imperial dominion over the world. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVG COS III (Translation: Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus, Consul Tertium. Supreme commander (Imperator) Caesar Vespasian, emperor (Augustus), consul for the third time.) |
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| Additional information |
Struck in the immediate aftermath of the Jewish War, this issue belongs to a concentrated propaganda campaign Vespasian ran through the Roman mint in 71 AD to legitimize a dynasty with no hereditary claim whatsoever. The Flavians needed the coinage to do political work fast. ROMA types were part of that vocabulary — reinforcing Roman permanence at precisely the moment a new family had seized it by force.
The orichalcum fabric of this denomination was itself a Augustan invention, the alloy chosen to distinguish aes coinage by value rather than size alone. By Vespasian's reign it was well-established, though die alignment and flan preparation quality varies considerably across the 71 AD issues.