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RIC 260 Divus Vespasian [Titus]
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Æ Sestertius, 27.35g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESP; Deified Vespasian std. l., with branch and sceptre
Rev: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; S C, large, in centre
RIC 260 (R2). BMC 224. BNC 232.
Ex eBay, 21 February 2019. Ex Tom Cederlind, 1996.
The funeral Titus held for his father Vespasian in the early summer of 79 was a lavish affair. Suetonius says it reportedly cost 10 million sestertii! B. Levick in her Vespasian biography speculates the procession was closely modelled on the one held for Divus Augustus by Tiberius. Vespasian's body was borne by leading senators on a funerary couch of ivory and gold with the body hidden from view, instead onlookers saw a wax image of Vespasian in triumphal gear. A cult statue of the dead emperor was also displayed in a triumphal chariot - the same statue of Vespasian that is likely commemorated on the obverse of this rare sestertius struck by Titus for the deified Vespasian. Two variants of the obverse legend occur: one with 'VESPASIAN' (seated on a curule chair) and this coin's 'VESP' - which seems to be slightly rarer. Only one obverse die has been recorded for this variant.
The seated emperor with branch and sceptre was also struck for Divus Augustus in a restoration issue by Titus. Minting the same type for both Divus Augustus and Divus Vespasian was a way to stress a parallel between the two emperors, a parallel that Vespasian had earlier emphasised with his own coinage. The date with Titus as COS VIII places the coin between 80-81, at least a full six months after Vespasian's death on 24 June 79 (assuming the coins were produced contemporaneously with Vespasian's deification). Epigraphic evidence shows Vespasian had been deified sometime before 29 May 80. Why they were struck so late remains a mystery. Perhaps the delay for deification was an attempt on Titus' part to avoid his father becoming a court joke as Claudius had become, or so B. Levick has asserted. She believes the famous 'Woe's me ...' quip attributed to Vespasian is likely a later cruel jest parodying Claudius' last utterance 'Woe's me, I think I've messed myself'. Regardless, the political expediency of having a deified father likely overruled any such qualms.
Beautiful dark brown patina. A fine piece in hand!
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![RIC 260 Divus Vespasian [Titus]
Æ Sestertius, 27.35g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESP; Deified Vespasian std. l., with branch and sceptre
Rev: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; S C, large, in centre
RIC 260 (R2). BMC 224. BNC 232.
Ex eBay, 21 February 2019. Ex Tom Cederlind, 1996.
The funeral Titus held for his father Vespasian in the early summer of 79 was a lavish affair. Suetonius says it reportedly cost 10 million sestertii! B. Levick in her Vespasian biography speculates the procession was closely modelled on the one held for Divus Augustus by Tiberius. Vespasian's body was borne by leading senators on a funerary couch of ivory and gold with the body hidden from view, instead onlookers saw a wax image of Vespasian in triumphal gear. A cult statue of the dead emperor was also displayed in a triumphal chariot - the same statue of Vespasian that is likely commemorated on the obverse of this rare sestertius struck by Titus for the deified Vespasian. Two variants of the obverse legend occur: one with 'VESPASIAN' (seated on a curule chair) and this coin's 'VESP' - which seems to be slightly rarer. Only one obverse die has been recorded for this variant.
The seated emperor with branch and sceptre was also struck for Divus Augustus in a restoration issue by Titus. Minting the same type for both Divus Augustus and Divus Vespasian was a way to stress a parallel between the two emperors, a parallel that Vespasian had earlier emphasised with his own coinage. The date with Titus as COS VIII places the coin between 80-81, at least a full six months after Vespasian's death on 24 June 79 (assuming the coins were produced contemporaneously with Vespasian's deification). Epigraphic evidence shows Vespasian had been deified sometime before 29 May 80. Why they were struck so late remains a mystery. Perhaps the delay for deification was an attempt on Titus' part to avoid his father becoming a court joke as Claudius had become, or so B. Levick has asserted. She believes the famous 'Woe's me ...' quip attributed to Vespasian is likely a later cruel jest parodying Claudius' last utterance 'Woe's me, I think I've messed myself'. Regardless, the political expediency of having a deified father likely overruled any such qualms.
Beautiful dark brown patina. A fine piece in hand!](albums/userpics/11162/T260.jpg "RIC 260 Divus Vespasian [Titus]
Æ Sestertius, 27.35g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESP; Deified Vespasian std. l., with branch and sceptre
Rev: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; S C, large, in centre
RIC 260 (R2). BMC 224. BNC 232.
Ex eBay, 21 February 2019. Ex Tom Cederlind, 1996.
The funeral Titus held for his father Vespasian in the early summer of 79 was a lavish affair. Suetonius says it reportedly cost 10 million sestertii! B. Levick in her Vespasian biography speculates the procession was closely modelled on the one held for Divus Augustus by Tiberius. Vespasian's body was borne by leading senators on a funerary couch of ivory and gold with the body hidden from view, instead onlookers saw a wax image of Vespasian in triumphal gear. A cult statue of the dead emperor was also displayed in a triumphal chariot - the same statue of Vespasian that is likely commemorated on the obverse of this rare sestertius struck by Titus for the deified Vespasian. Two variants of the obverse legend occur: one with 'VESPASIAN' (seated on a curule chair) and this coin's 'VESP' - which seems to be slightly rarer. Only one obverse die has been recorded for this variant.
The seated emperor with branch and sceptre was also struck for Divus Augustus in a restoration issue by Titus. Minting the same type for both Divus Augustus and Divus Vespasian was a way to stress a parallel between the two emperors, a parallel that Vespasian had earlier emphasised with his own coinage. The date with Titus as COS VIII places the coin between 80-81, at least a full six months after Vespasian's death on 24 June 79 (assuming the coins were produced contemporaneously with Vespasian's deification). Epigraphic evidence shows Vespasian had been deified sometime before 29 May 80. Why they were struck so late remains a mystery. Perhaps the delay for deification was an attempt on Titus' part to avoid his father becoming a court joke as Claudius had become, or so B. Levick has asserted. She believes the famous 'Woe's me ...' quip attributed to Vespasian is likely a later cruel jest parodying Claudius' last utterance 'Woe's me, I think I've messed myself'. Regardless, the political expediency of having a deified father likely overruled any such qualms.
Beautiful dark brown patina. A fine piece in hand!")
