Domitian Quadrans Rhino

Obv.
Rhinoceros advancing left

Rev.
IMP DOMIT AVG GERM
SC


I love this issue for several reasons. First, this little coin represents the only depiction of a rhinoceros in all of Roman numismatics. This fact just intrigues me, it seems so odd that it is such a unique one off appearance. I enjoy the fact that the depiction shows two horns, confirming that it is an African Rhinoceros. This coin led me on a little journey in trying to understand why this animal was depicted, why only once, and why at that particular time. It turns out that this coin was struck to depict a specific rhinoceros, displayed in fights in the Colosseum for the first time.

Martial describes the games in which this took place in his Liber De Spectaculis. The great T.V. Buttrey wrote a fantastic article on this in which he shows that this little coin points to a different date for these games. I dare you to read this article and not want to get one of these coins!

Domitian, the Rhinoceros, and the Date of Martial's Liber' De Spectaculis by T.V. Buttrey

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/129/1291956404.pdf