Ancient Rome - 75-79 CE Vespasian AV Aureus NGC Choice XF - Aeternitas Reverse

Vespasianus 69-79 AD Aureus, Rome, 75-79 AD, AU 7.33 g. Obverse: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG Laureate head right. Reverse: AETERNITAS Aeternitas veiled and draped standing left, holding the heads of the Moon and the Sun facing, at his feet a lit altar. Ref: Cal 588a (S.3), C -, RIC -, Biaggi 295 Preservation: NGC Choice XF. Superb and very rare, similar to the Caruso Collection piece. Among the duties bestowed upon Titus by his father Vespasian was the command of the Praetorian Guard, a move designed to strengthen the position of the emperor, as well as to ensure the loyalty of this very powerful force in Roman politics. The ancient sources record that the worst of Titus' violent personality came to the fore while in charge of the guard, and he gained notoriety in Rome for the brutal tactics they employed. Further tarnishing his reputation, whilst on campaign in the east Titus had begun a relationship with the princess Berenike, sister of the Herodian king Herod Agrippa II, who had sent archers and cavalry to fight alongside the Romans to show his allegiance to the Empire. After the conclusion of the war, Agrippa and Berenike journeyed to Rome whereupon Titus and Berenike rekindled their controversial relationship, with the princess reportedly living in the palace with Titus and acting in every way as his wife. Suspicious of the woman seen as an intrusive eastern outsider, Berenike was openly mocked in the city and Titus was forced to send her away in order to re-establish his standing and popularity. Struck during this turbulent period, the interesting reverse of this wonderful aureus can be seen as an attempt by Titus to propagate his loyalty to the empire through the depiction of Aeternitas, the divine personification of eternity, which is used to symbolise permanence and the everlasting nature of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the design here uses the gods Sol and Luna to add another dimension to the imagery: by possessing both day and night in her grasp, Aeternitas demonstrates her dominion over all time. First introduced on the gold and silver coins of Vespasian, the concept behind this reverse type is not a wholly Roman one, as the same idea was employed on some Parthian coins as a means of validating the King's power over the entirety of the Empire.