Silver Denarius of Vespasian RIC 109

Silver Denarius (19mm 3.22g) Struck A.D. 78-9 Rome

Obv: CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG Laureate head right

Rev: IMP XIX Sow left with three piglets

RIC II 109 Sear 2292
ex. Harlan J. Berk

The front and back layout contains layers of meaning:

The Front (Obverse): The Emperor's Power Move

• What you see: A portrait of Vespasian looking to the right, wearing a laurel wreath (the ultimate ancient Roman symbol of victory and high status).
• The Text: CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG
• What it means: Short for "Caesar Vespasianus Augustus." Vespasian wasn't born into the original royal family, so by putting "Caesar" and "Augustus" next to his name, he was telling everyone, "Hey look, I'm the official, legitimate boss of Rome now."

The Back (Reverse): The "Three Little Pigs" Prophecy

• What you see: A mama pig (sow) walking to the left with three cute little piglets hanging out underneath her.
• The Text: IMP XIX
• What it means: This stands for Imperator Undevicesimus, meaning Vespasian was hailed as a victorious supreme military commander for the 19th time!

So why pigs? It's actually a clever shout-out to Rome's famous foundation myth from Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid. According to the legend, the Trojan hero Aeneas fled to Italy to start a new life. A prophecy told him that he would know exactly where to build his permanent city when he found a "white sow with thirty piglets" resting under an oak tree.

The myth usually features 30 piglets, but the coin designer scaled it down to 3 to fit nicely on a tiny piece of silver.

The Secret Message: Propaganda at its Best

Before Vespasian took over, Rome went through a massive, bloody civil war called the "Year of the Four Emperors." It was total chaos.

By putting the sacred founding sow and her piglets on this coin, Vespasian was sending a huge psychological message to the Roman public:

1. Peace and Prosperity: Pigs meant plenty of food, family, and a return to the good life.
2. Back to Basics: It reminded people of Rome's legendary, sacred roots.
3. Rebirth: It whispered a promise that under Vespasian's new Flavian dynasty, the broken empire was hitting the reset button and being founded all over again, stronger than ever.

It's amazing how much history and political spin the Romans could cram onto a tiny 19mm piece of silver.