Another
superb addition David. The remarkable
reverse could be explained by not only Domitian's megalomania, but
his reverence for the classical gods. After
Minerva,
Jupiter must have been highly regarded, as he went to the expense of building a new temple for him. So as Domitian's self image inflated, I suppose it was natural for him to consider it appropriate to hold a
thunderbolt on
his coinage just like the god.
The figure of
Domitian on the
reverse looks strikingly similar to the figure of
Alexander on the famous decadrachm commemorating Alexander's
victory over
King Porus. As
Alexander was commonly looked up to, almost as a god, in the ancient world it is reasonable that images of him holding a
thunderbolt could have been a familiar sight. An image that
Domitian could not resist the temptation of copying.
Best regards,
Steve
