Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXV 11-12 Jan 2022
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Diva Domitilla Senior. Died before AD 69. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.55 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck under Domitian, AD 82-83. DIVA DOMITILLA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, hair in long plait at back / FORTVNA AVGVST, Fortuna, draped, standing left, holding rudder set on ground in right hand and cornucopia in left. RIC II.1 157 (Domitian); RSC 3; BMCRE 137 (Titus); BN 102 (Titus). Light iridescent toning over lustrous surfaces. EF. A delightful portrait. Well struck on a broad flan.
From the Thomas A. Palmer Collection, purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, March 2003.
A vexing problem of Flavian numismatics is the identity of a woman named Domitilla, who died sometime before the family rose to power and was deified and honored on coinage struck under Domitian. Vespasian's wife, the mother of Titus and Domitian, was named Flavia Domitilla and was long regarded as the most likely candidate. However, Vespasian's daughter, the sister of Titus and Domitian, bore the same name and also predeceased Vespasian's rise to power in AD 69; some numismatists, notably Carradice and Buttrey in the revised RIC II (London, 2007) assign the Diva Domitilla coinage to her. A 2010 article by Susan Wood in the American Journal for Archaeology Online, again makes the case for the senior Domitilla: "Her purely symbolic but significant role in the official propaganda contrasts with the living women of Domitian's principate [his sister Julia Titi and his wife, Domitian], both of whom held the title of Augusta and were perceived to be rivals for power."
From the Thomas A. Palmer Collection, purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, March 2003.
A vexing problem of Flavian numismatics is the identity of a woman named Domitilla, who died sometime before the family rose to power and was deified and honored on coinage struck under Domitian. Vespasian's wife, the mother of Titus and Domitian, was named Flavia Domitilla and was long regarded as the most likely candidate. However, Vespasian's daughter, the sister of Titus and Domitian, bore the same name and also predeceased Vespasian's rise to power in AD 69; some numismatists, notably Carradice and Buttrey in the revised RIC II (London, 2007) assign the Diva Domitilla coinage to her. A 2010 article by Susan Wood in the American Journal for Archaeology Online, again makes the case for the senior Domitilla: "Her purely symbolic but significant role in the official propaganda contrasts with the living women of Domitian's principate [his sister Julia Titi and his wife, Domitian], both of whom held the title of Augusta and were perceived to be rivals for power."