Titus coins Roman Imperial catalog

Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus (79-81)

Titus is the son of Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla the Elder. He was born in 39 and received his education together with the son of Emperor Claudius Britannicus. After the murder of Britannicus by Nero, Titus became very ill. They said that he, sitting at the same table as Nero's half-brother, also tasted poisoned food.
Titus served under his father. In 65 he became a quaestor, and in 67 he commanded a legion in Judea.

After the death of Emperor Galba, Titus played an important role in negotiations with the eastern satraps, which led to the proclamation of Vespasian as emperor.

In 69, Vespasian sent Titus to suppress the Jewish uprising, the following year Jerusalem surrendered and its main temple was destroyed. How much Titus himself contributed to or opposed this is unknown. The resounding victory led to enormous honors. On some coins of eastern cities, Titus was even called emperor. This could have caused a deterioration in the relationship with his father, but apparently this did not happen. In 71, Titus returned to Rome, where Vespasian officially declared him co-ruler and heir. He held several important positions, including the post of praetorian prefect.

Not everyone was sympathetic to Vespasian's desire to establish a dynasty. But the heir’s love of love promised even greater problems. Titus was married first to Arrecinia Tertulla (her brother was prefect before him), and after her death to Marcia Furnilla, with whom his only child (daughter) was born. They divorced in '64 or '65. Two years later in Judea, Titus fell in love with the daughter of the Jewish king Herod Agrippa, Berenice, who was ten years older than him, but shone with beauty, talents and wealth. In 75, Berenice came to Rome, where she lived openly with Titus in the palace. This caused outrage (many were reminded of the story of Antony and Cleopatra), so they had to separate.

In 79, an attempt on Vespasian's life was discovered by a certain Caecina, whom Titus personally killed. Vespasian soon died and there were rumors that Titus was involved in this, which is extremely doubtful, since even Suetonius does not mention this.

Having become emperor, Titus tried to smooth out the unpleasant impression that could have arisen from his harshness when he was prefect of the praetorium. He reduced the number of spies, moderating their activity, repealed the law on high treason, and pardoned those suspected of another conspiracy. When Berenice arrived in Rome again, Titus immediately sent her back, despite her obvious reluctance to do so.

A month after Titus ascended the throne, the famous eruption of Vesuvius occurred, destroying Pompeii, Herculaneum and several other cities. In 80, when the emperor was still in charge of the work at Vesuvius, a three-day fire occurred in Rome, burning down many important buildings. And then, to these misfortunes, an epidemic was added.

The main positive event of Titus's reign was the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater, which was later nicknamed the Colosseum because of the colossal statue of Nero erected nearby. This was Rome's first all-stone amphitheater and had a huge influence on all European architecture. It could accommodate 45 thousand seated spectators and 5 thousand standing spectators.

Titus is one of the "good" emperors. Short and plump, he was nevertheless good with weapons, and also sang, played the harp and wrote poetry. In his youth he was distinguished by some extravagances, but when he became emperor he tried to get rid of his shortcomings. Which is certainly better than if the opposite happened. Roman historians note his gentleness. At the same time, some of them hint that such a blissful picture arose solely due to the brevity of the reign.

On September 13, 81, Titus died. Perhaps due to some incurable disease that he knew about, which explained his apathy and inactivity in recent months. However, there were rumors that Domitian poisoned him.

 

 

T CAESAR IMP VESPASIANVS
IOVIS CVSTOS

denarius 79
silver
Rome
18 mm.
Bust right in a wreath / Titus Caesar Emperor Vespasianus
Jupiter left, sacrifices on the altar and holding scepter / Jupiter Keeper
Value - $60-80

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coins of Titus in the catalog are presented divided by historical periods, indicating the main characteristics and differences by type.
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