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AUTHENTIC ANCIENT ROMAN COIN, 
EMPEROR DOMITIAN , Silver Denarius, mint ROME
Obv. laureate head facing right , Rv. Roman Goddess

2.7 gr, 18mm
.


CONDITION:   GOOD - VERY FINE  / Rare / LIGHT CABINET TONING

Domitian

Domitian
Domiziano da collezione albani, fine del I sec. dc. 02.JPG
Bust of Domitian, in the Musée du Louvre,Paris.
11th Emperor of the Roman Empire
Reign14 September 81 –
18 September 96
PredecessorTitus, brother
SuccessorNerva
Born24 October 51
Rome
Died18 September 96 (aged 44)
Rome
BurialRome
Wife
Issueson (80–83)
Full name
Titus Flavius Domitianus
(from birth to 69);
Titus Flavius Caesar Domitianus (from 69 to accession);
Titus Flavius Caesar Domitianus Augustus (as emperor);
Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus
(imperial name)[1]
DynastyFlavian
FatherVespasian
MotherDomitilla

Domitian (/dəˈmɪʃən-iən/LatinTitus Flavius Caesar Domitianus Augustus;[2] 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.

Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish–Roman War. This situation continued under the rule of his father Vespasian, who became emperor in 69 following the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. While Titus held a great many offices under the rule of his father, Domitian was left with honours but no responsibilities. Vespasian died in 79 and was succeeded by Titus, whose own reign came to an unexpected end when he was struck by a fatal illness in 81. The following day Domitian was declared Emperor by the Praetorian Guard, commencing a reign that lasted fifteen years – longer than any man who had ruled since Tiberius.[3]

As Emperor, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage, expanded the border defenses of the Empire, and initiated a massive building program to restore the damaged city of Rome. Significant wars were fought in Britain, where his general Agricola attempted to conquer Caledonia (Scotland), and in Dacia, where Domitian was unable to procure a decisive victory against king Decebalus. Domitian's government exhibited totalitarian characteristics; he saw himself as the new Augustus, an enlightened despot destined to guide the Roman Empire into a new era of brilliance. Religious, military, and cultural propagandafostered a cult of personality, and by nominating himself perpetual censor, he sought to control public and private morals. As a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people and army but considered a tyrant by members of the Roman Senate.

Domitian's reign came to an end in 96 when he was assassinated by court officials. The same day he was succeeded by his advisorNerva. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Roman Senate, while senatorial authors such asTacitusPliny the Younger and Suetonius published histories propagating the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Modern revisionists have instead characterized Domitian as a ruthless but efficient autocrat whose cultural, economic and political program provided the foundation of the peaceful 2nd century.