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RIC 753 Domitian
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Æ Dupondius, 13.28g
Rome mint, 92-94 AD
Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVI CENS PER P P; Head of Domitian, laureate, radiate, bearded, r.
Rev: FORTVNAE AVGVSTI; S C in field; Fortuna stg. l., with rudder and cornucopiae
RIC 753 (C). BMC 467. BNC 495.
Acquired from Marc Breitsprecher, March 2021.
This common Fortuna type was repeatedly struck throughout Domitian's reign on his middle bronze. She also fleetingly showed up on the denarii in 82. Mattingly calls this Fortuna 'the special Fortuna that watches over the imperial office'. Suetonius writes that near the end of Domitian's reign on 1 January 96 'The Fortuna of Praeneste, which throughout the whole time he was emperor had habitually given him a happy and virtually the same answer to him whenever he entrusted the new year to her care, finally gave a most gloomy answer - and not without the mention of blood.' The COS XVI bronze issue was struck sometime between 92 and 94 and cannot be more precisely dated because Domitian did not take up the consulship again until 95.
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