Roman Empire – Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD) Silver Tetradrachm, Antioch – dated 69/70 AD

Description Roman Empire. Twelve Caesars. Provincial series. Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD) AR (Silver) tetradrachm. Mint of Antioch, Syria; dated New Holy (Regnal) Year 2 = 69/70 AD. About VF; struck the year that Vespasian's son Titus ended the Jewish Revolt by sacking Jerusalem and destroying the Second Temple.   Design: Laureate head of Vespasian right / Eagle, clutching wreath in beak, perched left on club with outstretched wings; palm branch to left Reference: RPC II 1971. McAlee 357. Prieur 135. Dimensions: 29 mm / 13.86 gm Condition: About VF.   Vespasian Born a short distance outside Rome during the last years of Augustus’s rule, Vespasian was raised in an equestrian family. Unlike senatorial aristocrats, whose high-class status often paradoxically constrained them from exercising mobility in their careers, the equestrians (equites, as they were known) had more options, and were thus often more successful. Equites comprised the great businessmen of the empire, the successful bureaucrats of the vast imperial administration, and of course many successful generals. Vespasian’s first major campaign was Claudius’s invasion of Britain in 43 AD. Though not a major commander in the invasion, he made a name for himself capturing several towns in southern England and leading the expedition to the Isle of Wight. His real break came in 63 AD, when he was appointed the governor of Proconsular Africa (modern Tunisia), one of the richest provinces of the empire replete with large grain plantations that fed the city of Rome’s 1 million people. Due to heavy state involvement and subsidies for the lucrative grain trade, the governorship of Africa was a post often ripe with corruption, but Suetonius writes that Vespasian was “upright and highly honorable” in his governorship. He met the reigning emperor Nero in Greece two years later, but Vespasian earned Nero’s displeasure by falling asleep while the emperor serenaded his entourage with his lyre. Nevertheless, his military experience was undeniable, and Nero called on him to lead the Roman troops in Judaea fighting against the rebels. The Great Jewish Revolt, as it is now known, broke out in 66 AD in protest to governor Gessius Florus’s heavy-handed tax policy, among other matters. Vespasian’s campaigns saw an improvement in Roman fortunes; he took the major rebel stronghold of Jericho in 68 AD, but failed to fully quell the revolt. Meanwhile, the rest of the empire was in chaos. Nero, the last emperor of the family of Augustus, fell on his own sword in June of 68 AD, with no clear successor. The Praetorian Guard nominated the elderly Galba, who only lasted seven months. Revolts in Gaul and on the Rhine ensured no contender for the throne could establish clear military supremacy. At least, that was, in the western provinces. Distinct from the chaos in Italy and Gaul, the eastern provinces quickly aligned behind Vespasian. The governor of Syria, Mucianus, gave him his full support, which crucially included three legions. The Egyptian legions also backed him. Though he did not fight the western contender Vitellius in person, his allies won the day and Vespasian was sole ruler by December of 69 AD. Much in the same fashion as Augustus a century before him, Vespasian restored stability to the Roman world after a period of civil war and disorder. His ten years on the throne were viewed almost unambiguously positively by historians then and now, though he is not usually remembered as one of Rome’s greatest emperors. He was constantly cited for his generosity – of religious sites, public buildings, the arts – Pliny the Elder was a friend of his and dedicated his Natural History to his son Titus, who succeeded him. Unfortunately, Vespasian did not live to see his greatest monument and the most recognizable symbol of his reign, the Colosseum, to completion.