Vespasian, 69-79. Aureus (Gold, 19 mm, 7.34 g, 6 h), Rome, 72-73. IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII Laureate head of Vespasian to right. Rev. Vespasian, togate, standing in slow quadriga right, holding olive branch his right hand and scepter in his raised left; on front of car, large wreath. BMC 79. Bromberg -. Calicó 586. CBN 61-2. Cohen 642. Hendin 6495. RIC 364. Samel 2312. Shoshana -. Very rare and among the finest known examples. Beautifully struck in high relief and with an excellent portrait. Struck from a slightly worn reverse die, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.



Struck in 72-73 CE, this aureus looks back to the great triumph celebrated by Vespasian and Titus over Judaea in the previous year. Unlike the Judaea Capta types that show the conquered province or its captives, the reverse concentrates entirely on the victor: Vespasian appears in a triumphal quadriga, holding a branch and a sceptre. The defeated enemy has disappeared from the image, but the historical context leaves little doubt as to the victory being commemorated.

Josephus records that the Senate had originally granted Vespasian and Titus separate triumphs, but that father and son chose instead to celebrate a single triumph together (Josephus B.J. 7.121-122). In his account of the procession, Vespasian came first and Titus followed, reflecting their respective positions as Augustus and Caesar (Josephus B.J. 7.148-152). The triumph nevertheless celebrated a victory that belonged to both men: Vespasian as the emperor under whose auspices the war had been fought, and Titus as the commander who had brought the siege of Jerusalem to its conclusion.

The date of the aureus is equally significant. By 72-73 CE, the fall of Jerusalem and the triumph were no longer recent events to be announced, but had become established parts of the public image of the Flavian regime. The same quadriga type was also issued for Titus (see lot 384 below), underlining the dynastic character of the Judaean victory and allowing both father and son to appear in the same triumphal imagery. In this sense, the reverse marks a further development of the Judaea victory coinage: the conquered province itself is no longer required, and the figure of the triumphator alone has become sufficient to embody the victory.