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RIC 0672 Domitian as Caesar [Vespasian]
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Æ As, 9.87g
Rome mint, 73-74 AD
Obv: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIAN COS II; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: S C in field; Domitian riding l., r. hand raised, holding sceptre
RIC 672 (R). BMC 689. BNC 704.
Acquired from Kölner, April 2021.
This rare bronze As copies a triumphal reverse more commonly found on Domitian Caesar's early denarii at Rome. It commemorates his participation in Vespaisan and Titus's joint Judaean War Triumph in 71 - 'while taking part in the Judaean triumph, he rode on a white horse' (Suetonius, Domitian, ii). Bizarrely, H. Mattingly in BMCRE II describes the sceptre Domitian is holding on the reverse as sporting a human head(!) and RIC notes (p. 106) that on some examples 'the sceptre knop clearly has a human head'.
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