Brass Dupondius of Domitian as Augustus RIC 405

Brass Dupondius (28mm 12.25gm) Struck A.D 92-94. Rome

Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVI CENS PERP P Radiate bust right

Rev: FORTVNAE AVGVSTI Fortuna standing left, hand on rudder, holding cornucopia in her right SC across fields

RIC II 405

The Front Side (Obverse)

The front features a portrait of Emperor Domitian looking to the right. He is wearing a radiate crown, which looks like a crown of sharp sunbeams. In ancient Rome, this was a special design trick: it helped people instantly know they were holding a dupondius (worth 2 asses) rather than a regular as coin, and it subtly linked the emperor to the sun god!

The long string of letters wrapping around the edge looks like a secret code, but it is actually a list of Domitian's official titles:

IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVI CENS PERP P

• IMP CAES DOMIT AVG: Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus (His official names as Emperor).
• GERM: Germanicus (A proud victory title meaning "Conqueror of the Germans").
• COS XVI: Consul for the 16th time (The ancient Roman way of dating the coin—this puts its production right around A.D. 92–94).
• CENS PERP: Censor Perpetuus (Perpetual Censor, meaning he had lifelong control over the Senate's membership and public morals).
• P: Pater Patriae (Father of his Country).

The Back Side (Reverse)

The back of the coin features Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, fortune, and fate. She is standing and facing left, holding two very important symbols:

• A Rudder: Showing that she steers human destiny.
• A Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty): Overflowing with goodies to show wealth and abundance.

The words around her say FORTVNAE AVGVSTI, which means "The Fortune of the Emperor."

Domitian put this on his money to send a big, bold message to his citizens: "Hey everyone, look how lucky and blessed I am! Because the goddess of fortune is smiling on me, our whole empire is going to be peaceful, rich, and successful."

The large S C split on either side stands for Senatus Consulto, meaning the coin was officially minted "by decree of the Senate."