Sestertius - Titus PAX AVGVST S C, Pax

Titus issued this sestertius in 79 AD, the same year he became emperor following Vespasian's death in June — and the same year Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in August. The Pax reverse was a deliberate political signal: Titus needed to project stability after a succession that, however smooth by Roman standards, still required reassurance. The Flavian dynasty had itself emerged from civil war a decade earlier, and the memory of 69 AD had not faded.

RIC II.1 62 is a fairly well-documented type, but examples attributable to early 79 striking — before the eruption reshaped imperial priorities — are difficult to distinguish from later issues of the same year.