Original cast of a Roman aureus
The coin pendant on offer is based on a gold coin (aureus) from the Flavian period. The coin, made of pewter, was additionally 22 ct gold-plated. The diameter of the coin pendant is approx. 1.8 cm and is connected to a long leather strap by a movable eyelet. It is delivered in jewelry packaging.
- Material: Pewter with additional 24 ct gold plating
- Diameter: 1.8 cm
- Weight: 6 g
- Movable eyelet
- Sufficiently long leather strap
- Delivery includes jewelry packaging
The coin inscriptions
The obverse of the coin shows the right profile of the Roman ruler Domitian. The inscription on the rim reads: "CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS". The reverse shows a cornucopiae (horn of plenty) together with the inscription "COS III" ("in the 3rd consulship year of Domitianus"). In Roman antiquity, the cornucopia was a mythological symbol of good fortune and stood for fertility, wealth and abundance.
Unloved son and emperor
Titus Flavius Domitianus (or Domitian for short) was born in Rome on October 24, 51 as the youngest son of the Roman emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus and his wife Flavia Domitilla. The circumstances of his childhood and youth are still unknown today.
In the so-called Year of the Four Emperors (68 to 69), he was able to escape the henchmen of the usurper Vitellius and performed the duties of political governor (praetor urbanae) of Rome until the arrival of the new emperor Vespasian. While his eldest brother Titus was continuously built up by his father to become the dynastic successor to the throne, Domitian was not entrusted with any military or civil duties during this period.
During the reign of Emperor Titus, Domitian held the consulship together with his brother. After Titus' sudden death on September 13, 81, Domitian became the legitimate dynastic successor as the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.
The first few years were quite positive, also from the point of view of the Roman Senate. Domitian vigorously fought corruption and increased the efficiency of the Roman administration. He also consolidated the state finances. Furthermore, he celebrated military successes against the Germanic tribes and in Pannonia.
Over time, however, Domitian took on more and more political offices and increasingly bypassed the Senate in his decisions. Domitian's snubbing and belittling of the Senate, as well as some backgrounds from his private life, are held partly responsible for his assassination on September 18, 96. The assassins were also killed on the spot. Despite Domitian's general popularity among the people and the military, the Senate (which secretly approved the assassination) decided to erase the memory of this emperor forever (demnatio memoriae).
The "golden" eye-catcher
When you purchase this coin pendant, you not only become the owner of an eye-catching piece of jewelry, but you also receive a replica whose fiscal original is reminiscent of the political turmoil of the early imperial era.
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