Denarius of Titus

Coin

Trimontium Museum

©Trimontium Trust

Name/Title

Denarius of Titus

Entry/Object ID

E.2025.2

Description

Denarius of Titus. IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head right / TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P. Two captives with their arms bound behind their back sit at the base of a 'tropeaum' (a trophy monument construction from the spoils of war - usually swords, spears and shields), man on left, woman on right. RIC II 104.

Use

Standard circulation coin

Context

Issued on Titus' XVth triumph - his victory in Caledonia at the hands of general Agricola

Collection

Trimontium Trust

Acquisition

Notes

Purchased

Mintage

Mint

Rome

Date made

79 - 81

Time Period

1st century AD

Place of Origin

* Untyped Place of Origin

Rome

Manufacture Method

Struck

Coin Details

Obverse

Description

IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head right.

Transcription

Imperator Titus Caesar Vespasianus Augustus, Pontifex Maximus.

Translation

Supereme commander (Imperator) Titus Caesar Vespasian, emperor (Augustus), high priest.

Reverse

Description

TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P, two captives, back to back, seated at the base of a trophy, man on left, woman on right.

Transcription

Tribunicia Potestate Nona, Imperator Quintum Decimum, Consul Octavum, Pater Patriae.

Translation

Holder of tribunician power for the ninth time, Supreme commander (Imperator) for the 15th time, consul for the eighth time, father of the nation.

Edge

Edge Type

Plain/Smooth

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Europe

Culture/Tribe

Roman

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Coin

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Money

Nomenclature Class

Exchange Media

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

denarii

Dimensions

Diameter

18 mm

Weight

3.3 g

Composition

Material

Silver

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Exhibition Caption

Label

Silver denarius of Titus (AD 79-81), showing two native captives with their arms bound, sitting below a Roman victory monument. Issued to reflect Titus history in Caledonia at the hands of general Agricola.

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Imperial Propaganda in Your Pocket: Roman Coins as Messages of Power Ancient Rome was one of the earliest empires to harness mass communication in support of its political and military ambitions. Long before television or social media, the Romans spread their messages using something far more tangible—coins. Ubiquitous and portable, coins offered a powerful platform for imperial propaganda. From the reign of Augustus in 27 BC, Roman coins routinely featured the emperor’s portrait on one side and symbolic imagery or slogans on the other. These reverse designs changed frequently, reflecting military victories, divine favour, or public works—whatever narrative best served the emperor’s agenda at the time. In effect, coins became miniature billboards of state messaging, rapidly disseminated across the empire. Modern historians and numismatists (coin experts) can now decode these messages, linking them to specific campaigns and political events. They offer an extraordinary lens into how Rome presented itself to its subjects—and how it justified expansion, conquest, and control.