Vespasian 69AD Macedonian mint Large Rare Ancient Roman Coin Shield i34010

Description

Item:
i34010
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Vespasian - Roman Emperor: 69-79 A.D.
Bronze 25mm (7.58 grams) of Macedonian mint
Reference: S. 696; B.M.C. 5.27,149
AYTOKPAT
ΩP KAIΣAP OYEΣΠAΣIANOΣ, Laureate head left.
ΣEBAΣTOΣ MAKEΔONΩN around Macedonian shield.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Macedonia
or
Macedon
(from
Greek
:
Μακεδονία
,
Makedonía
) was an ancient
kingdom
, centered in the northeastern part of the
Greek peninsula
, bordered by
Epirus
to the west,
Paeonia
to the north, the region of
Thrace
to the east and
Thessaly
to the south. The
rise of Macedon
, from a small kingdom at the periphery of
Classical Greek
affairs, to one which came to dominate the entire Hellenic world, occurred under the reign of
Philip II
. For a brief period, after the conquests of
Alexander the Great
, it became the most powerful state in the world, controlling a territory that included the former
Persian empire
, stretching as far as the
Indus River
; at that time it inaugurated the
Hellenistic period
of
Ancient Greek civilization
.
Titus Flavius Vespasianus
, known in English as
Vespasian
(
November 17
9
AD –
June 23
79
AD), was a
Roman Emperor
who reigned from 69 AD until his death in 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the short-lived
Flavian dynasty
, which ruled the
Roman Empire
between 69 AD and 96 AD He was succeeded by his sons
Titus
(79–81) and
Domitian
(81–96).
Vespasian descended from a family of
equestrians
which rose into the
senatorial
rank under the emperors of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty
. Although he attained the
standard succession
of public offices, holding the
consulship
in 51, Vespasian became more reputed as a successful military commander, partaking in the
Roman invasion of Britain
in 43, and subjugating the
Judaea province
during the
Jewish rebellion
of 66. While Vespasian was preparing to besiege the city of
Jerusalem
during the latter campaign, emperor
Nero
committed suicide, plunging the Roman Empire into a year of
civil war
known as the
Year of the Four Emperors
. After
Galba
and
Otho
perished in quick succession,
Vitellius
became emperor in mid 69. In response, the armies in
Egypt
and Judaea themselves declared Vespasian emperor on
July 1
. In his bid for imperial power, Vespasian joined forces with
Gaius Licinius Mucianus
, the governor of
Syria
, who led the Flavian forces against Vitellius, while Vespasian himself gained control over Egypt. On
December 20
, Vitellius was defeated, and the following day, Vespasian was declared emperor by the
Roman Senate
.
Little factual information survives about Vespasian's government during the ten years he was emperor. His reign is best known for financial reforms following the demise of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the successful campaign against Judaea, and several ambitious construction projects such as the
Colosseum
. Upon his death on
June 23
,
79
, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus.
//
Family and early career
Vespasian was born in
Falacrina
, in the
Sabine
country near Reate. His father,
Titus Flavius Sabinus
, was an
equestrian
who worked as a
customs
official in the province of
Asia
and a money-lender on a small scale in
Aventicum
, where Vespasian lived for some time. His mother,
Vespasia Polla
, was the sister of a
Senator
.
After prompting from his mother, Vespasian followed his older brother, also called
Titus Flavius Sabinus
, into public life. He served in the army as a military
tribune
in
Thrace
in 36. The following year he was elected
quaestor
and served in
Crete
and
Cyrene
. He rose through the ranks of Roman public office, being elected
aedile
on his second attempt in 39 and
praetor
on his first attempt in 40, taking the opportunity to ingratiate himself with the Emperor
Caligula
.
In the meantime, he married
Domitilla the Elder
, the daughter of an equestrian from Ferentium. They had two sons,
Titus Flavius Vespasianus
(b. 41) and
Titus Flavius Domitianus
(b. 51), and a daughter,
Domitilla
(b. 39). Domitilla died before Vespasian became emperor. Thereafter his mistress,
Caenis
, was his wife in all but name until she died in 74.
Upon the accession of
Claudius
as emperor in 41, Vespasian was appointed
legate
of
Augusta
Legio II
, stationed in
Germania
, thanks to the influence of the Imperial
freedman
Narcissus
.
Invasion of Britannia
In 43, Vespasian and the II
Augusta
participated in the
Roman invasion of Britain
, and he distinguished himself under the overall command of
Aulus Plautius
. After participating in crucial early battles on the rivers
Medway
and
Thames
, he was sent to reduce the south west, penetrating through the modern counties of
Hampshire
,
Wiltshire
,
Dorset
,
Somerset
,
Devon
and
Cornwall
with the probable objectives of securing the south coast ports and harbours along with the tin mines of Cornwall and the silver and lead mines of Somerset.
Vespasian marched from
Noviomagus Reginorum
(
Chichester
) to subdue the hostile
Durotriges
and
Dumnonii
tribes
[1]
, captured twenty
oppida
(towns, or more probably
hill forts
, including
Hod Hill
and
Maiden Castle
in
Dorset
). He also invaded
Vectis
(the
Isle of Wight
), finally setting up a fortress and legionary headquarters at
Isca Dumnoniorum
(
Exeter
). These successes earned him triumphal regalia (
ornamenta triumphalia
) on his return to Rome.
Continued political career
Vespasian was elected
consul
for the last two months of 51, after which he withdrew from public life. He came out of retirement in 63 when he was sent as governor to
Africa Province
. According to
Tacitus
(ii.97), his rule was "infamous and odious" but according to
Suetonius
(
Vesp.
4), he was "upright and, highly honourable". On one occasion he was pelted with
turnips
. Vespasian used his time in North Africa wisely. Usually governorships were seen by ex-consuls as opportunities to extort huge amounts of money to regain their wealth that they had spent on their previous political campaigns. Corruption was so rife, that it was almost expected that a governor would come back from these appointments with his pockets full. However, Vespasian used his time in North Africa making friends instead of money; something that would be far more valuable in the years to come. During his time in North Africa, he found himself in financial difficulties and was forced to mortgage his estates to his brother. To revive his fortunes he turned to the
mule
trade and gained the nickname
mulio
(mule-driver).
Returning from Africa, Vespasian toured
Greece
in
Nero
's retinue, but lost Imperial favour after paying insufficient attention (some sources suggest he fell asleep) during one of the Emperor's recitals on the
lyre
, and found himself in the political wilderness.
Great Jewish Revolt
However, in 66, Vespasian was appointed to conduct the
war
in
Judea
. A revolt there had killed the previous governor and routed
Licinius Mucianus
, the governor of
Syria
, when he tried to restore order. Two legions, with eight cavalry squadrons and 10 auxiliary cohorts, were therefore dispatched under the command of Vespasian to add to the one already there. His elder son, Titus, served on his staff. During this time he became the patron of
Flavius Josephus
, a
Jewish
resistance leader turned Roman agent who would go on to write his people's history in
Greek
. In the end, thousands of Jews were killed and many towns destroyed by the Romans, who successfully re-established control over Judea. They took Jerusalem in
70
. He is remembered by Jews as a fair and humane official, in contrast to the notorious
Herod the Great
.
Josephus
wrote that after the Roman
Legio X Fretensis
accompanied by Vespasian destroyed Jericho on
June 21
,
68
, he took a group of Jews who could not swim (possibly
Essenes
from
Qumran
), fettered them, and threw them into the
Dead Sea
to test its legendary
buoyancy
. Sure enough, the Jews shot back up after being thrown in from boats and floated calmly on top of the sea.
Year of Four Emperors
Main article:
Year of the Four Emperors
Map of the Roman Empire during the
Year of the Four Emperors
(69 AD). Blue areas indicate provinces loyal to Vespasian and
Gaius Licinius Mucianus
.
After the death of Nero in 68, Rome saw a succession of short-lived emperors and a year of
civil wars
.
Galba
was murdered by
Otho
, who was defeated by
Vitellius
. Otho's supporters, looking for another candidate to support, settled on Vespasian.
According to Suetonius, a prophecy ubiquitous in the Eastern provinces claimed that from Judaea would come the future rulers of the world. Vespasian eventually believed that this prophecy applied to him, and found a number of
omens
,
oracles
, and
portents
that reinforced this belief .
He also found encouragement in Mucianus, the governor of Syria; and, although Vespasian was a strict disciplinarian and reformer of abuses, Vespasian's soldiers were thoroughly devoted to him. All eyes in the East were now upon him. Mucianus and the Syrian legions were eager to support him. While he was at
Caesarea
, he was proclaimed emperor (
July 1
,
69
), first by the army in
Egypt
under
Tiberius Julius Alexander
, and then by his troops in Judaea (July 11 according to Suetonius, July 3 according to Tacitus).
Nevertheless,
Vitellius
, the occupant of the throne, had Rome's best troops on his side — the veteran legions of
Gaul
and the
Rhineland
. But the feeling in Vespasian's favour quickly gathered strength, and the armies of
Moesia
,
Pannonia
, and
Illyricum
soon declared for him, and made him the
de facto
master of half of the Roman world.
While Vespasian himself was in Egypt securing its
grain supply
, his troops entered Italy from the northeast under the leadership of
M. Antonius Primus
. They defeated Vitellius's army (which had awaited him in
Mevania
) at
Bedriacum
(or Betriacum), sacked
Cremona
and advanced on Rome. They entered Rome after furious fighting. In the resulting confusion, the Capitol was destroyed by fire and Vespasian's brother Sabinus was killed by a mob.
On receiving the tidings of his rival's defeat and death at
Alexandria
, the new emperor at once forwarded supplies of urgently needed grain to Rome, along with an edict or a declaration of policy, in which he gave assurance of an entire reversal of the laws of Nero, especially those relating to
treason
. While in Egypt he visited the Temple of
Serapis
, where reportedly he experienced a
vision
. Later he was confronted by two labourers who were convinced that he possessed a divine power that could work
miracles
.
Vespasian as emperor
Aftermath of the civil war
Bust of Vespasian,
Pushkin Museum
,
Moscow
.
Vespasian was declared emperor by the Senate while he was in Egypt in December of 69 (the Egyptians had declared him emperor in June of 69). In the short-term, administration of the empire was given to
Mucianus
who was aided by Vespasian's son,
Domitian
. Mucianus started off Vespasian's rule with tax reform that was to restore the empire's finances. After Vespasian arrived in Rome in mid-70, Mucianus continued to press Vespasian to collect as many taxes as possible.
Vespasian and Mucianus renewed old taxes and instituted new ones, increased the tribute of the provinces, and kept a watchful eye upon the treasury officials. The Latin
proverb
"
Pecunia non olet
" ("Money does not smell") may have been created when he had introduced a
urine tax
on public toilets. By his own example of simplicity of life — he caused something of a scandal when it was made known he took his own boots off — he initiated a marked improvement in the general tone of society in many respects.
In early 70, Vespasian was still in Egypt, the source of Rome's grain supply, and had not yet left for Rome. According to
Tacitus
, his trip was delayed due to bad weather. Modern historians theorize that Vespasian had been and was continuing to consolidate support from the Egyptians before departing. Stories of a divine Vespasian healing people circulated in Egypt. During this period, protests erupted in Alexandria over his new tax policies and grain shipments were held up. Vespasian eventually restored order and grain shipments to Rome resumed.
In addition to the uprising in Egypt, unrest and civil war continued in the rest of the empire in 70. In Judea, rebellion had continued from 66. Vespasian's son,
Titus
, finally subdued the rebellion with the capture of Jerusalem and destruction of the
Jewish Temple
in 70. According to
Eusebius
, Vespasian then ordered all descendants of the royal line of
David
to be hunted down, causing the Jews to be persecuted from province to province. Several modern historians have suggested that Vespasian, already having been told by Josephus that he was prophesied to become emperor whilst in Judaea, was probably reacting to other widely-known Messianic prophecies circulating at the time, to suppress any rival claimants arising from that dynasty.
In January of the same year, an uprising occurred in
Gaul
and Germany, known as the second
Batavian Rebellion
. This rebellion was headed by
Gaius Julius Civilis
and
Julius Sabinus
. Sabinus, claiming he was descended from
Julius Caesar
, declared himself emperor of Gaul. The rebellion defeated and absorbed two Roman legions before it was suppressed by Vespasian's brother-in-law,
Quintus Petillius Cerialis
, by the end of 70.
Arrival in Rome and gathering support
In mid-70, Vespasian first came to Rome. Vespasian immediately embarked on a series of efforts to stay in power and prevent future revolts. He offered gifts to many in the military and much of the public. Soldiers loyal to Vitellius were dismissed or punished. He also restructured the Senatorial and Equestrian orders, removing his enemies and adding his allies. Regional autonomy of Greek provinces was repealed. Additionally, he made significant attempts to control public perception of his rule.
Propaganda campaign
Many modern historians note the increased amount of propaganda that appeared during Vespasian's reign. Stories of a supernatural emperor who was destined to rule circulated in the empire. Nearly one-third of all coins minted in Rome under Vespasian celebrated military victory or peace. The word
vindex
was removed from coins so as not to remind the public of rebellious
Vindex
. Construction projects bore inscriptions praising Vespasian and condemning previous emperors. A temple of peace was constructed in the forum as well. Vespasian approved histories written under his reign, ensuring biases against him were removed.
Vespasian also gave financial rewards to ancient writers. The ancient historians who lived through the period such as
Tacitus
,
Suetonius
,
Josephus
and
Pliny the Elder
speak suspiciously well of Vespasian while condemning the emperors who came before him. Tacitus admits that his status was elevated by Vespasian, Josephus identifies Vespasian as a patron and savior, and Pliny dedicated his
Natural Histories
to Vespasian, Titus.
Those who spoke against Vespasian were punished. A number of stoic philosophers were accused of corrupting students with inappropriate teachings and were expelled from Rome.
Helvidius Priscus
, a pro-republic philosopher, was executed for his teachings.
Construction and conspiracies
Construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the
Colosseum
, was begun by Vespasian, and ultimately finished by his son Titus.
Between 71 and 79, much of Vespasian's reign is a mystery. Historians report that Vespasian ordered the construction of several buildings in Rome. Additionally, he survived several conspiracies against him.
Vespasian helped rebuild Rome after the civil war. He added the temple of Peace and the temple to the Deified Claudius. In 75, he erected a colossal statue of
Apollo
, begun under
Nero
, and he dedicated a stage of the theater of Marcellus. He also began construction of the Colosseum.
Suetonius claims that Vespasian was met with "constant conspiracies" against him. Only one conspiracy is known specifically, though. In 78 or 79, Eprius Marcellus and
Aulus Caecina Alienus
attempted to kill Vespasian. Why these men turned against Vespasian is not known.
Military pursuits and death
In 78,
Agricola
was sent to
Britain
, and both extended and consolidated the Roman dominion in that province, pushing his way into what is now
Scotland
. On June 23 of the following year, Vespasian was on his deathbed and expiring rapidly, he demanded that he be helped to stand as he believed "An emperor should die on his feet". He died of an intestinal inflammation which led to excessive
diarrhea
. His purported great wit can be glimpsed from his last words;
Væ, puto deus fio
, "Damn. I am already
becoming a god
!"
Views on Vespasian
Vespasian was known for his wit and his amiable manner alongside his commanding persona and military prowess. He could be liberal to impoverished Senators and equestrians and to cities and towns desolated by natural calamity. He was especially generous to men of letters and
rhetors
, several of whom he pensioned with salaries of as much as 1,000 gold pieces a year.
Quintilian
is said to have been the first public teacher who enjoyed this imperial favor.
Pliny the Elder
's work, the
Natural History
, was written during Vespasian's reign, and dedicated to Vespasian's son Titus.
Vespasian distrusted philosophers in general, viewing them as unmanly complainers who talked too much. It was the idle talk of philosophers, who liked to glorify
the good times
of the
Republic
, that provoked Vespasian into reviving the obsolete penal laws against this profession as a precautionary measure. Only one however,
Helvidius Priscus
, was put to death, and he had repeatedly affronted the Emperor by studied insults which Vespasian had initially tried to ignore, "I will not kill a dog that barks at me," were his words on discovering Priscus's public slander.
Vespasian was indeed noted for mildness when dealing with political opposition. According to Suetonius, he bore the frank language of his friends, the quips of pleaders, and the impudence of the philosophers with the greatest patience. Though Licinius Mucianus, a man of notorious unchastity, presumed upon his services to treat Vespasian with scant respect, he never had the heart to criticize him except privately and then only to the extent of adding to a complaint made to a common friend, the significant words: "I at least, am a man." He was also noted for his benefactions to the people, much money was spent on public works and the restoration and beautification of Rome: a new forum, the Temple of Peace, the public baths and the great show piece, the
Colosseum
.
In the modern
Italian language
, the urinals are called "vespasiano", probably in reference to a tax the emperor placed on urine collection (useful due to its ammoniac content; see
Pay toilet
).
In later literature
Marcus Didius Falco
novels
The Course of Honour
, a novel by
Lindsey Davis
Edward Rutherfurd
's
historical fiction
novel
Sarum
contains an account of one the protagonists' (a
Celtic
chief) meeting Vespasian during his campaign through southern Britannia.
Vespasian, as legate under
Aulus Plautius
, is a regular secondary character in
Simon Scarrow
's
Eaglegle
series.
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