Domitian’s German and Dacian Wars on Provincial Coinage

Presenters: Dr Caillan Davenport and Charlotte Mann (UQ)

The reign of Domitian marks a watershed in the depiction of imperial military achievements on provincial coinage. It is the first time that we can see a wide range of different mints throughout Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt producing coins with specific legends and images commemorating contemporary imperial campaigns. In this paper, we will examine the different iconographical choices made by the minting authorities, as some coins were clearly influenced by designs on coins produced at Rome, while others were shaped by local conceptions of imperial power. There will be four case studies: (I) Roman Colonies in Achaia; (II) Victory and Triumph in Asia; (III) Enslaving the Barbarians; (IV) Alexandrian Coinage. We will demonstrate that the depiction of Domitian’s wars on provincial coinage shows how mint masters played a vital role as interpreters of imperial ideology for local audiences.