Numismatica Ars Classica Zurich

Auction 114 - Part I  –  6 - 7 May 2019

Numismatica Ars Classica Zurich, Auction 114 - Part I

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Coins

Tu, 07.05.2019, from 11:00 AM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

Domitian augustus, 81 – 96. Sestertius 95-96, Æ 27.47 g. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVII CENS PER P P Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. S – C Two triumphal arch surmounted by quadriga driven by elephants. C 531. BMC p. 407, note +. RIC 796. CBN 509.
Extremely rare. A small area of restoration on the cheek of Domitian and extensive tooling on the reverse, otherwise good very fine

Ex NFA-Leu sale 16-18 May 1984, Garrett, 769.The precise identity of the remarkable arch shown in three-quarter view on this sestertius of Domitian is uncertain, although it is probably the same arch mentioned in an epigram of the Latin poet Martial (Ep. 8.65). Martial’s arch attributed to Domitian was also notable for its inclusion of two statues of quadrigae drawn by elephants on the top. The occasion for which the arch of Domitian was erected is unknown, but since elephant quadrigae have both a triumphal aspect (perhaps ultimately derived from Ptolemaic depictions of Alexander the Great in a similar chariot drawn by elephants) and a funerary aspect (elephants are often associated with the concept of aeternitas) in Roman art, it is tempting to suggest that the arch was intended to honour his deceased father and brother, Vespasian and Titus. Both men had celebrated great triumphs in the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69) and over the Jewish rebels of Judaea (AD 71), respectively, and were elevated as gods after their deaths. Much of Domitian’s reign was spent commemorating Vespasian and Titus as a means of advertising his own legitimacy as their successor to the imperial purple. Thus, in c. AD 82, Domitian erected the celebrated Arch of Titus dedicated to honouring the victories of Titus in the Jewish War—a different monument from the arch depicted on the coin. In AD 87, Domitian also completed and dedicated the Temple of Vespasian and Titus in the Roman Forum for the public worship of his predecessors. On the other hand, it is not entirely impossible that the arch was triumphal in nature, perhaps celebrating the triumph(s) that Domitian claimed over the Germanic Chatti in AD 82 and/or over the Dacians in AD 87. He is not known to have celebrated any other triumphs during his reign. If the arch was intended to commemorate two triumphs this might perhaps explain the two statues of elephant quadrigae since only a single emperor claimed the triumphs. However, it is unclear why a monument ostensibly celebrating an event or events from early in Domitian’s reign should appear on a coin datable by the imperial titulature to the period AD 95-96 unless we assume that it took a decade or more for the commemorative arch to be built. Only further research combined with new discoveries are likely to elucidate the true context of this mysterious arch.

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Price realized 4'500 CHF
Starting price 4'000 CHF
Estimate 5'000 CHF
The auction is closed.
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