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Sestertius - Vespasian S C
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 72-73 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Emperor Vespasian facing right, depicted with aegis or paludamentum visible at the truncation, rendered in high relief with characteristic realistic portraiture of the Flavian period. The emperor's mature, strongly modelled features — prominent brow, rounded chin, and short-cropped hair beneath the laurel wreath — are rendered with the unflinching realism typical of Flavian imperial coinage. The encircling Latin legend runs clockwise around the periphery of the flan, naming the emperor's full titulature. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES VESPAS AVG P M TR P P P COS IIII (Translation: Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Consul Quartum. Supreme commander (Imperator) Caesar Vespasian, emperor (Augustus), high priest, holder of tribunician power, father of the nation, consul for the fourth time.) |
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| Additional information |
Vespasian struck this issue during the immediate aftermath of the Jewish War, a conflict he had commanded before Nero's death thrust him into the civil wars of 69 AD. The Judaea Capta series — among the most politically charged coinage programs in Roman history — ran across multiple denominations throughout his reign, and sestertii of 72–73 fall squarely within its peak production years. The S C notation reflects senatorial authorization, a formality Vespasian maintained scrupulously to project constitutional normalcy after the chaos of the Year of the Four Emperors.