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Sestertius - Domitian S C
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 85 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Emperor Domitian facing right, wearing an aegis on the left shoulder, rendered in high relief characteristic of Flavian imperial portraiture. The effigy displays the emperor's distinctive physiognomy with strong features and a laurel wreath crown. The encircling Latin legend runs continuously around the obverse field, naming the emperor with his full titulature. The flan shows an irregular, broadly struck fabric typical of late first-century Roman sestertii. Surface patination is consistent with a bronze alloy coin of this period. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI (Translation: Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Consul Undecimum. Supreme commander (Imperator), Caesar, Domitian, emperor (Augustus), conqueror of the Germans, consul for the eleventh time.) |
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| Additional information |
Domitian's sestertii from 85 AD were struck during a period of aggressive monetary reform — he had just restored the silver content of the denarius to Augustan standards, a decision that lasted barely four years before military expenditure forced another debasement. The large orichalcum flans of this period were carefully controlled in weight, and the SC formula carried real administrative meaning: the Senate formally retained nominal authority over base-metal coinage while the emperor commanded gold and silver.
RIC II.1 #281 falls within Domitian's third consulship grouping, minted at Rome under his ninth year of tribunician power.