Domitian as Conqueror of Germany
167, Lot: 141. Estimate $2500.
Sold for $2730. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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Domitian. AD 81-96. AV Aureus (19mm, 6.51 g). Rome mint Struck AD 88-89. Laureate head right / Germania seated right on shield, mourning; broken spear below. RIC II 127; Calicó 838. VF, probably ex jewelry. Popular reverse type.
Domitian often displayed considerable political skill when dealing with matters of state. Such were the military actions in Germany and Dacia that he initiated and which can be justified as an effort to shorten Rome's frontier with the barbarian tribes to the East. There was also, most likely, a twinge of jealousy over the successful military triumphs of his father and brother. In any case, the German campaign was unsuccessful and the border question had to be resolved by his formidable successor, Trajan, yet competent decisions such as this preventative measure counter the typical derogatory bias found in the ancient authors concerning Domitian's reign. This coin, commemorating Rome's "victory" over the Germans, suggests more hopeful speculation than any concrete reality.
